


Frivolity

by kanames_harisen



Category: Naruto
Genre: AU:canon divergence, Angst, Cussing, Drama, F/M, Implied Sexual Content, Mental Anguish, Romance, Threats of Rape/Non-Con
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-02-05
Updated: 2013-02-06
Packaged: 2017-11-28 08:11:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 57,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/672188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kanames_harisen/pseuds/kanames_harisen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If she had no plans to marry, then of what worth was her reputation? And only the three of them, Tsunade, Kakashi and herself, knew the true irony of Ino's situation, that Konoha's own Mistress of Seduction was, in fact, very much a virgin.</p><p>[Pardon the dust! This fic is currently under construction. Rest assured that the author is hard at work to bring you a fully renovated story in a timely manner. Thank you for your cooperation!  ]</p><p>Current renovation progress (as of 9/18/2017): chapters 1-4 edited and re-uploaded</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Frivolity and Its Necessities

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Author's Note (7/23/16) :**  
>  As I prepare to write the final three chapters of this story, I am going through all the old chapters with a fine-tooth comb. My writing style is more cohesive (and better, I hope?) than when I started, and I want the final product here to display that fact. The content of the story will stay mostly the same, but I anticipate that some chapters will be heavily edited for grammar, POV, and style consistency.
> 
> I will be uploading the newly edited chapters as quickly as I can, though I can't commit to any kind of a schedule since RL is currently kicking my butt.

**.**

**.**

**~ oOo ~**

_Frivolity and its necessities,  
Become everything you feel_

_-_ **Joy Electric -**

**~ oOo ~**

**.**

**.**

 

Frivolous.

Shallow.

Promiscuous.

Manipulative.

Each word could stand on its own, bringing with it varying degrees of negative connotation. Most people, in some shape or form, have been guilty of deserving one, or perhaps a couple, of these labels sometime within their life. For a great many, upon realizing they are seen in such a manner, changes are made to reverse the unfavorable opinions.

It is the way of human nature, to want to be seen in a good light, to be accepted by our peers, to try our best to live within the box that public opinion creates. Having one bad trait can usually be forgiven; even a couple will rarely cause one to be ostracized. This actually tends to make someone seem more human, bringing to mind thoughts like _they have their faults but are still a good person_ to the average fellow citizen. They still have the right to hold their head up high as a respectable and accepted member of their community.

This goal is one which women especially, having been groomed by society from birth for such a purpose, strive to obtain: to be known as a lady.

By contrast, when those undesirable traits are brought together in one vessel, their meanings intertwining into something cohesive, we see a wholly different form of woman.

**{ oOo }**

Ino Yamanaka was one of these women, or at least that was the general consensus among the residents of Konoha. It didn't matter whom was asked – her family, her best friend, her teammates, or even some random citizen on the street – they all recognized Ino for what she was: the best special ops kunoichi the Konohagakure had ever produced. More than that, being a ninja village, the public understood what the job which came with that title was meant to entail: Ino was a jounin level seductress.

It was also a widely known fact that her working skills had filtered down to her personal life. Ino was known to date multiple men at any given time, to frequent bars to look for suitable bodies to fulfill her physical needs. She never paid for anything anywhere, instead using her beauty and half-whispered promises to charm her way out of every bill. She lived only in the moment, flashing dazzling smiles one moment, crushing hearts the next as she moved on to greener and more lucrative pastures.

The effect of such truths, as all rumors are until proven otherwise, was that while she was greatly honored as a shinobi, she was considered an irredeemable woman. Others of the fairer sex, with the exception of a handful of her fellow kunoichi, treated her with careful disdain, clutching possessively to their other halves while in her presence.

Men, on the other hand, lavished her with attention, gifts, and conversation filled with innuendo. Of course, none of them were ever serious about her. They were merely after the physical pleasure her presence could bring them. Not that she could blame them completely. After all, with her reputation, Ino was the type of woman whom men wanted to bed, not one they would bring home to meet their parents.

If Ino had been like most people, she would have fought the rumors that had effectively torn her reputation shreds, disowning the degrading remarks and refraining from partaking in any activity or frequenting any locale which may have given credence to them. But Ino, perhaps adopting some of Shikamaru’s strategic brilliance, decided that she could use these _truths_ to her advantage.

Ino was, in fact, acutely ambitious. Sure, she hid it well, burying it under a mask of beautiful blonde frivolity, a clever ruse causing rivals to underestimate her. But it was there nonetheless.

And so, when the first reports of her indiscretions began to circulate – she being the ripe old age of fourteen – she chose not to refute them, but to instead encourage them. The wise kunoichi knew her shinobi skills would only get her just so far in the line of work for which she was aiming, and her assumptions were later to be proven correct. By age sixteen, though she had greatly honed her skills, taking two years in her learning and perfecting of the Yamanaka family jutsu, she was stuck on a plateau as a lower level jounin. It was a great accomplishment, to be sure. But it certainly wasn't enough for Ino.

She could do better, do more. She could – no, she _should_ – have the same type of renown that Sakura, Naruto, and Shikamaru had. Unfortunately, though she had repeatedly presented her application for special ops to the council, no one seemed eager to give her the chance, citing lack of the required skill set as the primary reason.

Ino realized that to achieve her goal, she would have to resort to more impressive measures.

**{ oOo }**

Ino chose to create a particularly complicated jutsu, one that would take her nigh on three years to fully develop. In her medical studies, Ino had learned a lot about how the human brain functions – its intrinsic complexities, the minute fluctuations in its chemistry, how it affects the rest of the body. The premise of her jutsu was quite simple; the difficulty was in pinpointing the exact section of the brain she needed to target. For months on end, she spent every scrap of her spare time reading through dusty tomes and science scrolls, looking for the missing link which would make her hypothesis a reality.

In the end, Ino found what she was searching for. With the information, she managed to hone a skill, a largely disused variation of her bloodline limit which behaved much like a high level genjutsu. The resulting jutsu was strikingly similar to the Uchiha clan's Mangekyo Sharingan, though her version focused primarily on inciting pleasure rather than torment, and its use imposed negligible negative side-effects on its user; it took very little chakra to put into action, did not require lengthy hand signs, and, unlike her mind transfer jutsu, she did not leave her body. Also, since it worked by altering the chemical composition of the target’s brain, rather than by an illusion created by genjutsu, it was virtually impossible to detect, except perhaps by a well-trained medic-nin. But the most crucial aspect of the jutsu, at least from Ino's standpoint, was that no one but herself would know how to use it. It would be her trump card, her trademark.

Its only limitation, so far as she could anticipate, was that she would have to be engaged in intimate contact with the target before she could utilize it – she would have to be kissing her target. The mouth, specifically the tongue, was the closest nerve cluster to the brain that Ino was confident that she could access without arousing suspicion. Ultimately, she deemed this restriction to be inconsequential; as her goal was a special ops position, it seemed a fitting coincidence.

All that was left to do was a little practical application.

**{ oOo }**

Ino's trials yielded even better results than she had projected. She started small, seducing sleazy, self-proclaimed players from various watering holes around Konoha. These men were easy to spot and even easier to bend to her will, the type that would go after anyone passably attractive with breasts. Since she met and surpassed both requirements, she pulled their strings with relative ease. Upon awakening alone from a heavy slumber, the test subject would mourn the loss of his beautiful puppeteer, forgetting momentarily her adamant requests to avoid the trappings of a relationship, but be comforted by sultry recollections of their once-in-a-lifetime encounter, none the wiser of her underlying intentions.

In actuality, the jutsu caused the victim to maintain a state of pleasure-induced unconsciousness, which gave Ino the freedom to explore the mind unhindered and undetected, while also allowing the imposition of her will, rearranging thought processes and memories as she saw fit. For these trials, as it was her fellow citizens and shinobi she chose as specimens, Ino kept strictly to implanting a typical one night stand experience. While wielding such power over the male mind was exhilarating for the woman, anything more invasive would have caused her to lose her beloved beauty sleep. Invigorated by her success, she continued her research, working her way up the hierarchy of nightlife and leaving salacious rumors, and a few broken hearts, in her wake.

**{ oOo }**

That was not to say everything went just as she expected.

Soon, Ino came to realize that only by seducing someone of a higher caliber could she ensure herself an elite position. After much deliberation, and a small amount of soul-searching, she set her sights on the perfect target. He was nearly old enough to be her father and a friend to boot, but as an elite jounin, ex-Anbu, and wielder of the Sharingan, he would be the ultimate test. It was also held in his favor that he was attractive, more so than many men half his age, interminably single, and susceptible to fits of perversion.

He, of course, was Kakashi Hatake. Ino executed her seduction plan well, and the end of the night saw her at his apartment, their fingers tangled in each other’s hair and his cloth-covered lips nuzzling her neck while his hands explored places on her body that without the aid of alcohol he would never be persuaded to touch.

Encouraged by his apparent distraction, she reached for his mask in attempt to make for the necessary kiss, only to be shut down by the ever-vigilant Kakashi.

He saw through her deception, calling her ungraceful and severely lacking in subtlety. But before she could make up her mind to permanently debilitate him for the affront, Kakashi made himself useful by proposing that she take lessons from a geisha acquaintance of his and add some variety to her reading repertoire. Supposing she could use a mentor of sorts, Ino revealed her plan and enlisted the older man's help.

Within a mere fortnight, her seduction skills and her jutsu were honed to such a degree that her next elite target not only fell for her ruse, but he never figured out that he’d been had. Ino almost felt sorry for Yamato-sensei. Almost.

While that, in and of itself, was quite an accomplishment, the most promising result of the test was the confirmation, due to Kakashi's observation of the interaction, that the Sharingan was unable to detect the jutsu.

**{ oOo }**

It was soon decided amongst this dynamic duo that it was time to inform their esteemed Hokage of Ino's newly developed talents. This also went better than Ino hoped, with Tsunade immediately capitalizing on her assets, so to speak, and appointing her a position within the special ops on a trial basis; in spite of either woman’s wishes, the Hokage could not give her anything more concrete, not until the council was sure Ino could conduct herself appropriately.

By the time she returned from her first mission, executed without the slightest hiccup and earning herself, and in turn the village, quite a sum, the council had found sufficient time to dig up the dirt on Ino. Given the extensiveness of the young kunoichi’s supposed exploits, the council approved Tsunade's request for Ino to be awarded a promotion: the rank of elite jounin and a permanent spot within the special ops ranks. Finally, she’d achieved the renown for which she’d been striving. At age nineteen, this Mistress of Seduction, as the Konoha constituents had dubbed her, was finally where she wanted to be, where she felt she deserved to be.

All it had cost her was her reputation.

Ino considered this a very cheap price to pay. After all, a woman only needed a good reputation if she planned on marrying a good man, something which she zero interest in. In fact, she had no romantic interest in anyone at all, not since the man of her dreams had deserted the village and the pursuit of said man had almost taken the life of her beloved teammate. If she had no plans to marry, then of what worth was her reputation?

And only the three of them – Tsunade, Kakashi and herself – knew the true irony of Ino's situation, that Konoha's own Mistress of Seduction was, in fact, very much a virgin.


	2. On Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Author's Note (7/25/16) :**  
>  This chapter has been heavily edited for style, grammar, POV, and characterization since its original posting. A fresh read-through is highly recommended.

**.**

**.**

**~ oOo ~**

_Everything inside you knows_ _  
_ _There's more than what you've heard_ _  
_ _There's so much more than empty conversations_  
_Filled with empty words_

**\- Switchfoot -**

**~ oOo ~**

**.**

**.**

Despite being born into a shinobi clan, a fate that for most went hand in hand with dysfunction, Ino had a very loving childhood. Perhaps it was due to her father's overprotective nature, quick to shield her from the ugliness the world possessed with one hand - having seen enough of it himself to fill several lifetimes - while training her defenses with the other. Perhaps it was because her mother, while she lived, cherished all forms of beauty with a childish naivety, the family flower shop a physical manifestation of Sumire Yamanaka's pure heart; the impact of her death did not outweigh the impact of her love.

Whatever the cause, Ino had entered the academy, graduated as a genin, taken part in her first chuunin exam, and survived an invasion by two rival villages before the truth of the world she lived in hit her between the eyes: everyone wore a mask, hiding the blackness of their hearts from the outer world, and behind a pretty face lay all manner of deceptions.

After coming to that revelation, Ino had never been the same. She carefully crafted her own mask, callous armor to protect her soft heart, and in the company of others was rarely without it. The isolation, the subtle yet sudden distance between her and those she called friends, was not something she expected to come about as a result of its creation, but she bore it nonetheless. Like the ruination of her reputation, Ino considered it a necessary evil.

**{ oOo }**

As the first signs of dawn filtered red through her heavy lids, Ino yawned and stretched, savoring the moment. This was her favorite part of the day: the serenity of waking with the sun, feeling its golden rays burst forth with quiet anticipation, knowing that the day was fresh and, as of yet, unspoiled. Her mother used to say that in that moment, when the world had just woken up, the day was perfect and something to be treasured. So Ino never missed a sunrise, not if she could help it.

During that brief sliver of time, between initial wakefulness and the start of her day proper, Ino allowed herself the luxury of foregoing the mask. Sometimes she pretended be the silly, innocent girl she once was. Other mornings, she indulged her lazy side, lying utterly still and silent. But everyday she gave herself free rein to be unfeminine and unsexy and utterly _human_. In fact, she relished in it, knowing that even though no one was there to see her, she could be herself for herself.

Time, though, due to its very nature was fleeting. The sun too swiftly cleared the horizon, depriving Ino of her moment. With a sigh and one last stretch of her languid muscles, Ino begrudgingly left her refuge.

Not one to laze about, Ino went straight to work on her morning routine by cleaning her small apartment. For Ino appearances were everything, and though she rarely had visitors, she refused to be caught off guard. She learned earlier than most that first impressions carried a huge weight in others' opinions. That insight caused her to be more than diligent about what image she, and all things attached to her, portrayed. Ino readily admitted that she was, as Sakura had so colorfully told her, a bit anal.

Ino made herself presentable with equal fussiness. After a quick yet substantial breakfast, Ino showered, the water near scalding as she lathered up, rinsed off, and exfoliated with surgical precision. Ino then primped and preened until the visage reflected in her mirror was one of blonde perfection: demure, with subtle undertones of suggestion, this honed craft being one of the many benefits of her geisha training.

Then, nearly ready to face her day, Ino grabbed her purse and headed for the door. Slowing her stride just before she reached the threshold, Ino paused. There was one last part of her morning routine, a part which she had not neglected for the past six years, with the exception of when she was out on assignment; it was of that much import to her. Her eyes flitted to her left, focusing on a small, unadorned picture frame. She tapped her nail against glass twice as, for a brief moment, she allowed herself to get lost in memory.

**~ * ~**

_With saline-filled eyes and fractured sentences, Shikamaru attempted to give her the news, but no amount of genius or natural dispassion could make the words clear his throat. The sand kunoichi spoke up when he could not, relaying the details of their mission with a subdued kindness, all while holding together the fragmented pieces of shadow and despair that was Ino's teammate. Betrayal had come to Konoha in the form of familiar red and black eyes and had found its first victim, the evidence of which was smeared in crimson across Shikamaru's shaking hands._

_But fate saw fit to give them a reprieve, their friend's salvation at the hands of a most skilled medic and leader, and Ino rejoiced. She had lost enough that day - her innocence, her dreams, her heart - to the Uchiha traitor. Keeping her teammate, even one whom she had rebuffed time and time again, would be enough. Looking in on his unconscious, emaciated form, full of foreign tubes and under sterile sheets, Ino found him both beautiful and frightening. All that was left of him it seemed was his soul; his flesh had become but nothing, only the thinnest of ties holding him there. With eyes unclouded, she saw him for his true worth: Chouji Akimichi was priceless._

_When Shikamaru brought her news of Chouji's consciousness, Ino ran to the hospital as fast as her legs would carry her, stopping only briefly to purchase the customary get-well gift. She arrived flushed from her exertion, her hair a pretty mess of blonde tangles and her brow damp._

_The boy took one look at her and assumed the worst, she could see it on his face. He expected her to yell at him or insult him, or something else equally as bad. In times past, she would have done so, and that gladly. But she couldn’t now, nor would she ever be able to again._

_Instead, Ino softened her expression and sat down on the comfortless chair supplied for visitors. Keeping her head down, Ino nervously fidgeted with the handles of a brightly colored gift bag. After a moment of awkward silence, she plopped that bag down on his lap. "Here."_

_"Umm, thanks," Chouji said, his voice cautious and hopeful. "It’s chips... and barbeque?"_

_"I'm only going to say this once, Chouji Akimichi, so you better listen up. I'm sorry I called you fat. I don't ever want to see you this skinny again." Ino paused, turning her head to hide her growing blush. When she continued, her voice had dropped to a whisper. "On you, it's very unattractive."_

_A huge, goofy smile graced his thin cheeks. "Really?"_

_"Yeah, so eat up already."_

_"I'm okay now, Ino." He gently tugged on the ends of her hair. "Sorry I worried you."_

_"I wasn't worried," Ino bluffed. "I was jealous. You and Shika got to go out there, have an adventure and make a name for yourself, while I was stuck sitting around here."_

_"You'll get your chance."_

_"I know." Ino looked Chouji straight in the eye. "Can I tell you something?"_

_"Sure."_

_"I have a goal now.” Ino hesitated for a moment, unsure if she wanted to go on. Chouji’s expression was so earnest, though, that it washed away all her doubts. She could trust him, of that she was certain. “I'm going to find something that only I can do and I'm going to be the best at it. One day, you guys are going to be trying to keep up with me."_

_"Sounds about right," Chouji said with a firm nod of his head._

_"Of course. I'm always right." In triumph, she reached into her pocket. "Now scoot over. I'm taking a picture of us to celebrate."_

_Ino insinuated herself next to Chouji, deftly maneuvering between the machines and tubes that were still plugged up to him. Chouji blushed fiercely when she put her arm around his shoulders, but she decided not to say anything about it. With a click and a flash, the moment was put into permanence._

_"Hey, Ino, what are we celebrating?"_

_Ino looked over her shoulder at him, happiness shining in her blue eyes. "My motivation is still alive."_

_A couple days later, a new picture graced Ino's desk, a single frame taking the place of a multitude of others, all of which had featured the now-hated black hair and eyes. It was the only one image, but she found that it was more than enough._

**{ oOo }**

"And that's how Team Naruto struck fear into the hearts of their enemies once again!"

"Hmm, I see. Call me crazy, but isn't Shikamaru the team leader?"

Temari’s reaction, her placid expression and sardonic tone, wasn’t quite what the enthusiastic storyteller hoped for, if Naruto’s newly formed frown was anything to go by. Chouji leaned back against the wall and prepared himself for a show; from his perspective he could see it was about to get even worse for the hyper ninja. During Naruto's monologue, Temari's fingers had crept stealthily toward the weapon on her back.

"So how exactly did _his_ team become Team _Naruto_? Enlighten me."

"Aww, come on, Temari! That's-" Naruto started to plead his case only to be interrupted by a sharp blow to the head, courtesy of an overgrown, metal fan.

"Wrong answer."

Chouji and Shikamaru promptly stifled their laughter when Temari glared in their direction. No, with the mood she was in, neither of them wanted to further provoke her anger. Even Chouji, manly and large in stature as he was, had a healthy fear of what the Sand kunoichi could do. He did his best in the moment to be amiable, plastering a smile on his face as he nudged his friend with his elbow.

"So," Chouji whispered as Temari turned her ire back on Naruto, "are you going to do something? She might actually kill him this time. For _your_ honor."

“Twenty damn minutes of peace, and it’s still too much to ask for,” Shikamaru muttered around his cigarette, dragging a tired hand over his face as he moved to stand between the arguing blondes. "Oi, woman, leave the idiot alone. We'll never make it back with the prisoner if you keep beating on my team. Naruto, make yourself useful and check in with Kakashi. He still needs our report. Chouji can watch the prisoner.”

With a parting grumble for Temari, Naruto disappeared down the hallway of the abandoned Akatsuki safe house, now the joint Suna-Konoha headquarters for missions near the border of the Land of Rain.

“We need to talk. In private,” Shikamaru said, turning his attention back to Temari and gesturing towards a makeshift conference room. “I need you to update me on the mission reports coming in from Suna."

As Shikamaru held open the door for Temari, Chouji grinned and waggled his eyebrows at his best friend, careful to not let Temari see. Shikamaru shook his head, smashing the butt of his spent cigarette under his sandal, and returned the grin.

"Fine, but let’s get something straight first.” Temari paused in the doorway, her finger digging into the front of Shikamaru’s flak vest. “I wasn't defending your precious honor, so cut the cocky crap. And what’s with this _we'll never make it back with the prisoner if you keep beating on my team_? Like that little hit was actually going to hurt that idiot! Please. Sometimes you make me so-"

Temari's rant was, quite effectively, ended by a pair of soft lips covering her own. The kiss was brief, and rather chaste, but it did the trick nicely.

"Frustrated, yeah. Maybe we can help each other out with that later. For now," Shikamaru sighed as he pressed his forehead to hers, "back to work. What’s the word from Kankuro’s recon team? Please say they got something. I’m really tired of these suppression missions."

"Quit your whining. It's not befitting a man of your standing.” Temari smacked his shoulder playfully. After a few seconds, her expression sobered. “You're not going to like the report he sent back."

"Out with it already."

“Inside.” Temari’s eyes flitted over to where Chouji was standing next to the prisoner. Shikamaru nodded and stepped into the empty room. The information was for Shikamaru’s ears only.

But before the door closed completely, Chouji heard Temari’s next sentence.

_(It's Sasuke. We think he’s resurrected the Akatsuki.)_

**{ oOo }**

When the Akatsuki ravished Konoha three years ago, many thought that would be the end of things.

Forces from Suna had arrived just as the conflict escalated to a terrible sort of chaos: much of the village reduced to rubble, the injured bleeding out on the streets, and few shinobi left alive to stave off the continued attacks. The will of fire was a hairsbreadth away from being extinguished. But in an unprecedented gesture of camaraderie, a delegation of Sand shinobi held the Akatsuki at bay to buy Konoha time while Naruto worked on swaying Nagato's allegiance.

Naruto’s gambit ultimately proved successful, his heartfelt words restoring the faith of the Rinnegan-user. In turn, Nagato used the last of his power to restore life to Konoha's dead. With that new life flowing through their beating hearts, the warriors responded fiercely. The invading force had no chance.

The bodies of the Akatsuki, save the two Uchiha, Tobi - the one who claimed to be Madara - and Sasuke, were recovered and positively identified, then marked in the bingo books as deceased. With their numbers dwindled down to merely two, both of whom had suffered severe injuries during the course of the battle, the shinobi world breathed a collective sigh of relief. The Akatsuki had lost its teeth.

Those who truly understood these men, though, realized they would be back as soon as they could gather strength and conceive a new plan.

Just six months after the attack on Konoha, rumors began to circulate, unsubstantiated murmurings that something was amiss in the Land of Earth. No one paid any heed to these rumors, them being more akin to premonition than anything concrete. Mere ghost stories, people said, tall-tales to tell around the campfire and scare young children into obedience. Yet the whispers of discontent trickled out of the country for nearly a year. Then, without warning, the Kage of that land closed its borders and the rumors stopped.

The world moved on and all but the most vigilant forgot about the strange stories. Even when a new series of attacks began, two years from the very day that Konoha had been devastated, still few suspected a connection.

At first, the shinobi world found these attacks easy to ignore, just minor skirmishes set in motion by small mobs of discontented citizens. The cause of each occurrence seemed random and unrelated, the only common ground being the fires the mobs would light around the villages. The violence escalated increment by tiny increment until eventually whole villages were affected. Where before there were minor injuries afflicted on a handful of people at a time, now there was the stench of death.

Yet, only the Hokage and Kazekage wanted to investigate, the rest of the hidden villages not wanting to involve themselves in non-shinobi matters. By the time they realized their folly, it was too late. The Land of Birds, the Land of Grass, and the Land of Rain all fell, assimilated into the Land of Earth, the fires of their defeat burning and the ash and debris rising like an omen.

Once again, nothing but silence came from those lands and their Kages, their borders closed up tight. Still the attacks grew and spread, crossing into the northern borders of the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind. A joint task force, with shinobi from both Suna and Konoha, was assembled to solve the mystery behind the attacks and neutralize the threat, effectively starting what was to become known as the War of Silence.

**{ oOo }**

After locking the door behind herself and making sure the sign on the front window still read _closed_ , Ino shut her eyes. Then, with arms spread akimbo, she took a deep breath, holding the air in her lungs as long as she could before exhaling.

For Ino, the Yamanaka's flower shop was a place of wonder and contentment. After so many years of working at the shop, the thrill should have faded. But it hadn’t. She still found it magical, the way in which she could replay the best moments of her life whenever she walked through that door, picture-perfect images triggered by the scents of the beautiful bouquets. After training as a medic, she realized it was just the chemicals in her brain creating a natural response to the stimuli, yet she still found it a comfort. Within this shop, every inch steeped in familiarity and warm recollection, Ino felt more at home than anywhere else in the world. 

A shift of the shadows behind the register disrupted her reverie. Ino tossed her ponytail casually over one shoulder and ran a hand over its length, her deft fingers practiced in the art of sleight of hand. Then, with an elegant flick of her wrist, she sent the pair of golden senbon she’d retrieved from her hair flying. 

“Dammit, Ino.” The shop’s lights flickered on to expose the intruder, pinned to the wall by her sleeve. “I loved this shirt.”

"And you know I don’t like being surprised first thing in the morning, so that makes us even." Ino crossed her arms. “What the hell are you doing here, Sakura? You’re normally not even out of bed yet.”

"Sai and his fucking Anbu training tactics.” Sakura yanked the senbon out of the wall, her face contorted into a scowl. “He convinced Kakashi that my stealth could use some work. My task for today was to retrieve _one perfect petal from a red lotus bloom_ without detection.”

Ino snorted. “Guess you failed that one.”

“You think?” Sakura asked snidely. “If I have to hear one more comment from that jerk comparing me to a fat barnyard animal, I'll... well, I'm not sure yet." Sakura cracked her knuckles. “But it’ll definitely involve a trip to the hospital.”

“Do your plotting somewhere else,” Ino said as she prepared a new delivery of flowers for display. "You're polluting the shop with your angry aura."

"Speaking of plotting,” Sakura said, “I have a situation that I could use your help with."

"I’m listening." Ino continued to fiddle about the shop, making sure everything was in order for the day. After several minutes, and the official opening of the shop, Sakura still remained silent, anxiously biting her bottom lip. "Sakura, whatever the hell it is, just spill it already. It can’t be that bad."

"It’s not bad, _per se_. It’s just… well. I don’t think you’re going to like it."

"So help me, Forehead, if you do not get to the point quickly, I will take control of your body and make you do unspeakably embarrassing things."

"I want to host a dinner party. Something romantic. Like a date," Sakura said, watching Ino carefully for her reaction. “But with more than two people, if you know what I mean.”

“Oh,” Ino said, her voice sweet and innocent. “You want to plan an orgy.”

“No. Oh god, no. _Ino_.” Sakura flushed a deep, embarrassed red. “A goukon, obviously. With, like, good food and bad karaoke, or something. Absolutely no sex involved.”

Ino hummed, a small, knowing kind of noise, and smirked. “And I suppose you’re inviting Sai?”

“Of course. He’s been reading up on the dynamics of romantic relationships lately and it’ll be good for his research.”

“Oh yes. _Of course_.”

"I know what you’re insinuating, Pig, and I’m choosing to ignore it."

“Well, now, that’s too bad,” Ino said, her voice laced with a sly nonchalance. “Because if you want my help, you’re going to have to admit that you  _l_ _ike_ him.”

Sakura grit her teeth and paced the floor between the register and the door, hands balled into fists. After a half dozen passes, she stopped and said, “Fine, I like the jerk. You happy now?”

"Yep.” Ino grinned, truimphant. “And I can't believe you thought I wouldn't like it. Planning parties is my specialty."

"I know, but-"

"So, first, you'll need to find a proper venue," Ino interrupted. "Somewhere classy, yet casual, with plenty of privacy. Then you'll need- Hey!” Ino snapped her fingers in front of Sakura’s face. “You should be writing this down! Seriously, get..."

**{ oOo }**

"Stupid paperwork.” Naruto kicked a pebble across the sidewalk as he yawned, loud and long. “Damn waste of time. I could’ve been in my bed two hours ago."

"And he thinks he’s going to be the next hokage,” Temari said, shaking her head. “Idiot."

“I heard that!”

Shikamaru stepped between the two blondes before the situation could escalate. “We're back in the village. Let's all just go home and get some sleep, without all the drama for once."

When neither Naruto nor Temari relaxed their posture, Shikamaru turned towards Chouji. Chouji gave his friend a tired smile, ready to assume his role in separating the shinobi. Under normal circumstances, the tension between Naruto and Temari was merely friendly competition. But exhausted and cranky as they were, they’d become unpredictable.

Shikamaru’s attention focused on the irritable kunoichi as he lazily draped an arm around her waist, leading her away. "Besides, I miss my wife. Maybe you've met her? Blonde, troublesome, and sexy as hell. Got a bit of a temper, though."

"Hey, wait! You can't just call me an idiot and leave! A real ninja always finishes a fight!" Naruto cat-called after the couple as Chouji put a hand on the smaller man’s shoulder, keeping him firmly in place. Naruto didn’t seem to notice.

"You know,” Chouji said, “it looks like Ichiraku's just opened up."

"Yeah?” Naruto squinted, hand over his eyes, as he looked down the street at the ramen shop. “Yep. That’s Ayame putting out the sign now.” His stomach growled and he rubbed a hand over his dusty shirt. “You wanna get a bowl? I'm buying."

Chouji turned his head to hide his grin. It really was too easy to distract his friend. "Thanks. Next time maybe. I gotta go."

"Ino?"

Chouji nodded. "She'll have my head if I don't let her know I made it back safely."

"Don't act like you don't like it, you lucky bastard." Naruto batted his eyelashes and raised his voice in a silly falsetto. “ _Oh, Chouji, you big, strong, hunk of a man. I’ve missed you ever so much_!”

"You know it's not like that. She just worries." Chouji shrugged, looking at his feet so he didn’t have to see the insinuations in his teammate’s expression. “Especially when we’ve been gone so long.”

“Whatever you say, man. She’s still waiting for you. That’s more than most of us can say." Naruto slapped Chouji's back in good humor. "I’ll see ya later."

“Thanks.” Chouji waited until Naruto had walked halfway to Ichiraku’s, then yelled through his cupped hands, “Say hi to Hinata for me!”

The distance couldn’t hide how the red settled over Naruto’s entire face, all the way to the tips of his ears. Chouji chuckled as he headed for the flower shop.

**{ oOo }**

“Somewhere classy, yet casual, with plenty of privacy. Then you'll need- Hey!” Ino snapped her fingers in front of Sakura’s face. “You should be writing this down! Seriously, get..."

Ino's voice drifted off with that last word as a look of genuine joy manifested on her face.

"You're back!" Ino said as she leaped into Chouji’s arms. She lingered there, pressing her forehead into the worn armor over his chest. His scent, undeniably Chouji even under the sweat and dust and blood of the battlefield, was reassurance that he was most definitely  _in-the-flesh_ there. Then, as was her habit - which had become a necessity to maintain her peace of mind - Ino proceeded to give him a thorough once over for injuries.

"Ino, I'm fine. Really,” Chouji said, sighing as she gestured for him to turn in a circle. “I don't have a single scratch on me, so you can stop with all this mother hen stuff."

"You know I can't do that.” Ino smacked his shoulder when he stopped mid-rotation. “Now stop being a stubborn ass and let me get a good look at you."

Chouji stopped putting up resistance and did as she asked, holding his hands out in surrender as he proceeded to slowly turn around. As much as he declared this homecoming ritual unnecessary, not just on this instance but all the ones previous, Ino knew that he never felt like his mission was complete until he’d seen her afterwards; she’d seen it in his eyes on more than one occasion. Chouji needed this moment, this reassurance of life, every bit as much as she did. Satisfied that he was truly safe and whole, Ino patted Chouji's shoulder and breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm really glad you're back." Ino's hand slid from his shoulder, up the length of his neck and coming to rest on the underside of his jaw, and she brushed her thumb against his cheek. It was rare for Ino to be so unguarded, even for a moment, but there was something about Chouji, sometimes, which made it easy. "I missed you."

Chouji closed his eyes and pulled her close, resting his chin on the crown of her head. "I know."

The sound of someone clearing their throat behind her, and rather loudly at that, reminded Ino that she and Chouji were not alone in the shop. Sakura, with her green eyes gleaming mischievously, watched the two of them from behind the cash register, and Ino’s stomach flip-flopped with dread.

"Hey, Chouji,” Sakura said as she sidled up next to him. “Would you like to come to my goukon?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> goukon: a group blind date


	3. Action is the Anecdote

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Author's Note (7/29/16) :**  
>  The original version of this chapter was so bad, I can't even. POV was all over the place, characterization (especially Sakura's) was pitiful, and most of the dialogue made me cringe. I basically had to rewrite the entire second half.
> 
> Longtime readers - please, _please_ , for the love of all that is good in the world, purge what you previously read from your memory and replace it with this version.

**.**

**.**

**~ oOo ~**

_Stop, stop the time you're wasting_ _  
_ _I can see that closest thing to perfect_  
_Is the farthest thing from me_

-  **And Then There Were None -**

**~ oOo ~**

**.**

**.**

Shinobi _._

The very word could strike fear into the hearts of the average citizen of the five great nations.

For generation upon generation, the mercenary force of the ninja had simultaneously worked at keeping the peace and administering chaos, depending on which was more lucrative at the time, causing the lands to dwell in an unchanging paradox.

Oh yes, people knew of the shinobi, stealthy though they may be.

Shinobi were the spies, the assassins, the saboteurs, the illusionists, and the martial artists - the elite of the military world - completing their missions by ruthlessly efficient means. The rumors of their exploits were things of legend, being both a great source of entertainment to the masses and words of caution to the younger sect. The world knew of the unparalleled destruction ninja could wield, of how a single kunoichi could rain metal death from the heavens and how a single shinobi, with a mere wave of his mighty hand, could return an entire army back to the dust from whence they came.

Even when they enlisted the aid of the shinobi on their own behalf, they kept these things in their thoughts and were wary. For the people knew that a shinobi's heart was ruled by money and power, that their loyalty and skills were always open to the highest bidder.

Of course, very few of these people had actually met a shinobi from Konoha in person.

Konoha went stubbornly against the grain when it came to how they operated, drawing much skepticism from the other the nations. They routinely turned down more lucrative jobs, the ones which needed individuals with greater moral flexibility, to take the jobs that the rest of the villages scorned for lack of glory and riches. A majority of Konoha's income came from escort missions, rebuilding villages, or basic security implementation, rather than assassination and subterfuge.

That is not to say that Konoha did not on occasion inflict collateral damage on the innocent, or that it did not have secret forces with hidden agendas. But their hokages worked diligently to prevent the death and tragedy which inhabited the ninja world from spilling over onto its nation's denizens. In the world of the shinobi, ninja of the Konohagakure were widely considered to be soft idealists, overtly positive, and entirely too peace-loving - a veritable ray of unwanted sunshine in the darkness that was their lot.

How they managed to become a success, and maintain that success, went beyond all traditional logic.

**{ oOo }**

If Konoha was, without dispute, the friendliest hidden ninja village to ever grace the planet, then, with very little contestation, Chouji Akimichi was considered to be the friendliest shinobi Konoha had ever produced.

Always smiling, his easy-going attitude gained him favor with most everyone in the village, from his sensei at the academy to the barbeque pork vender just down the street. Chouji went out of his way to treat those around him with kindness and respect, sensitive to the feelings of others after having been the brunt of many a joke as a child. He didn't have a mean bone in his body. Most would say he completely lacked a killer instinct, being more suitable to life as a chef than a shinobi.

In fact, there was very little about Chouji that made him predisposed to the career path he chose, other than family affiliation and a slight aptitude for taijutsu. But Chouji was loyal to a fault, probably his most defining trait, and he chose follow Shikamaru, his first and best friend, anywhere he might lead. So Chouji followed Shikamaru to the ninja academy and beyond - through days of difficult training, through the perils of the chuunin exams, and even through venturesome missions where death lurked in every shadow.

Along the way he formed new bonds, new friends, new loyalties to protect. Each of those loyalties bolstered his resolve, giving him the strength to fight and that killer instinct when necessary, making the inner conflict that naturally resulted from this way of life a bit easier to bear. It was his loyalty that made Chouji a shinobi, which turned the chubby little boy no one wanted on their team into the formidable jounin that he became, and the people of Konoha loved him for it.

**{ oOo }**

"Hey, Chouji,” Sakura said as she sidled up next to him. “Would you like to come to my goukon?"

Chouji, startled and more than a bit embarrassed to be caught in such an intimate moment, jerked away from Ino with a bright, conspicuous blush. Ino’s actions mirrored his own, though he couldn’t help but notice that her demeanor was quite composed and that her face did not flush pink. The difference in their reactions hung like a weight around his neck, deepening his embarrassment and tying his tongue up in knots. He felt lucky to get out his single word reply.

“Me?”

A feral grin spread across Sakura's face, turning her normal visage into something decidedly feline, and a chill took hold of Chouji as he broke out in a nervous sweat. He had the distinct impression that he had just become a mouse that she was now cornering for sport. "Yes, _you_. Do you see anyone else in here, silly?"

Oh, Sakura was definitely playing with him. The tone of her voice, filled saccharine sweetness, paired with her falsely earnest expression pointed towards devious intentions: she wanted something from him.

"Oh, no, no. Not me," Chouji objected, his current state of panic on the rise.

Sakura, once determined, would not be deterred. This much Chouji knew about her character, and so he should have been better on his guard. But his brain, addled as it was, and his body exhausted from his mission, the last thing on Chouji’s mind was defense against someone who should be his ally.

Without warning, Sakura grabbed Chouji's wrist in a chakra-infused death grip and proceeded to drag him, dumbfounded look and all, directly to the flower shop’s door - the mouse now cradled in the cat's claws. To resist would mean injury, of that Chouji was certain, and Chouji was entirely too tired for either wounds or resistance.

"Well, I have to head to work now,” Sakura said, rubbing the back of her neck with her free hand. “And Chouji's going to be a gentleman and escort me to the hospital, since he is  _so_ interested in the goukon. Right, Chouji?"

“Ummm…”

“Chouji’s a big boy,” Ino interjected, arms crossed tightly over her chest. Chouji froze under the force of Ino’s clipped tone and icy glare. Ino was angry, more so than he’d seen in a long time. The calm malice she exuded was terrifying. “He can make up his own mind without you manhandling him.”

“Oh, is this what’s got your panties in a twist?” Sakura countered Ino’s cold words with what could pass for light-hearted sarcasm, if it hadn’t been accompanied by a challenging stare. Her jaw clenched in stubborn resolve as she gestured to where she was still latched onto Chouji’s arm. “But Chouji doesn’t mind. _Right_ , Chouji?” Sakura asked again, this time more forcefully.

“I-” The grip on his wrist tightened, and he gave up trying to figure out what the hell was going on between the ladies. “Sure. Whatever.”

“Perfect,” Sakura said with a wide smile as she opened the door and pushed Chouji through it. “We’ll just being going now.”

They’d only made it a few paces down the street before Sakura turned them around, muttering a plethora of curses under her breath. Sakura burst back into the shop, still dragging Chouji behind her.

"I forgot to tell you the party’s going to be at your house. I already told a couple people, so we can’t change it now. I’ll catch you up on the details later." Sakura spoke rapidly, giving Ino no time for a rebuttal, and ran out as soon as she’d finished her monologue. Outside the door, she paused for a moment, frowning, then opened the door again, just wide enough to peek inside. “Don’t be mad at me, okay?”

As the door shut for the last time, Chouji watched Ino slump onto a stool and rub her temples.

**{ oOo }**

Chouji had never felt this type of fatigue before.

Yes, he should be tired. He’d just returned from a prolonged, physically demanding mission. He had not slept in over twenty-four hours and been dreaming of his soft, warm bed for days. Right now even his flimsy bed roll, placed directly on the busy Konoha byway that his feet were currently planted on, felt like an acceptable option for rest.

But this weariness, like the very bones supporting him were inwardly crumbling, was different - an unnerving and unnatural sensation. His physical strength felt completely sapped, and for the past few minutes he’d been unable to so much as wiggle his nose or stretch his fingers. Yet, somehow his legs had no problems maintaining their forward motion. It didn’t take Chouji long to piece together what was going on.

"Sakura, come on. Release the jutsu and talk to me," Chouji said, struggling against the fatigue to get the words out. “What the hell is going on with you two today?”

"Shit. Sorry, Chouji,” Sakura said as she dropped his arm, her lips a thin, tight line of frustration. “I kind of panic when Ino gets like that. She can be seriously scary. And... well, fuck."

Her exclamation, paired with a pointed nod, brought Chouji’s attention to his newly released arm. Encircling his burly wrist like a tattoo was a fresh, dark purple bruise. Just then, his brain registered the pain and he groaned, dropping to his knees; it felt like his arm had been pinned under a boulder, crushed and unusable. Sakura grabbed his arm again and half-dragged him into the semi-privacy of a nearby alley, this time to administer the required medical aid. It only took a minute or two and then Chouji's wrist was completely healed, the evidence of Sakura's jutsu efficiently removed. Back on his feet, Chouji inwardly rejoiced over having both his body back under his own control and the pain removed.

"Interesting jutsu."

"Oh, that? It's a new one I'm working on. I call it the _Deadman's vice_."

“Appropriate.”

“I thought so.”

Chouji shook out his arm, then flexed his fingers. “How’s it work?”

“Like you care,” Sakura said, pausing to give him a calculated once-over. "You're just trying to distract me from bringing up the goukon. Nice try, though."

"Fine. I give." Chouji hung his head in surrender. In battle, he was a mighty man, able to suppress small armies with a single jutsu. But in the civilian sector, all it took was a word from a certain blonde, or her impulsive friend, and he found himself waving the white flag of defeat. "I just don’t get why you’re pushing the issue. We both know I’m not exactly ideal goukon material."

Sakura put her hands on her hips, her stance wide and firm, and Chouji stifled the urge to groan. It was the same way his mother stood when she lectured him, a posture which seemed to universally indicate that a good tongue lashing was about to be unleashed.

"Dammit, Chouji. It's no wonder you’ve never had a girlfriend. Women can smell low self-esteem a mile away." Sakura gesticulated wildly with her arms to punctuate her point. Then she took a few deep breaths and composed herself. When Sakura spoke again, she did so with significantly less aggression. "Look, you don't have to impress anyone, or be anyone's ideal guy or whatever other crap you’ve got stuck in your head. I just need you to be Ino’s date. No big deal."

“You want me-”

“To be Ino’s date, yes.”

“Not gonna happen.”

“Why the fuck not?”

"Are you delusional?” Chouji asked, incredulous. “You realize that’s impossible, right?”

“Why’s it impossible?” Sakura asked in response, her voice every bit as incredulous as Chouji’s. “What the hell am I missing?”

“Dammit, Sakura, she is so far out of my league. You think I don’t know that?” Chouji began to pace, his voice growing in volume. “I’ve seen the guys she goes out with. Rich and powerful, with like two-percent body fat. You can be delusional all you want, but I know better. Girls like _her_ don't go out with guys like _me_.”

“Chouji-”

“Besides,” he interrupted, determined to finish his rant before he ran out of steam, “she's just a friend. One of my best friends. What the hell makes you think I would be interested in her?"

Sakura smiled, and it wasn’t the mischievous grin which could normally be seen on her face. Nor was it one of the fake smiles she learned from Sai. It was an honest to goodness, beaming expression of friendship.

"You done yet?" she asked. When he gave her a reluctant nod, she rose on her tiptoes and ruffled his hair. "Good. Now maybe you’ll listen.”

Chouji grinned. “Like you ever do.”

“That’s beside the point. We’re not talking about me right now." Sakura cracked her knuckles and got down to business. “Ino’s hosting my goukon at her house, whether she likes it or not, and that means she’ll need a date. I think you’re the man for the job.”

"Correct me if I’m wrong,” Chouji said, in a last ditch effort to throw Sakura off her ridiculous idea, “but isn't the purpose of a goukon to meet people there? To see who you hit it off with?"

"Yes, that's how it usually goes. But Ino... She can’t- Dammit…” Sakura stomped her feet and huffed in exasperation. “It’s a long story and I’m pretty sure she’d kill me for telling you. The girl’s got some baggage in relation to the whole goukon scene, okay? Can’t we just leave it at that?”

“Yeah, fine,” Chouji said. “I’m still not on board with this plan, though.”

“Whatever. She needs a date and I refuse to let her bring any of those slimy, bar-hopping, pretty boys she's so fond of. They’d just ruin the atmosphere, you know? But you wouldn’t. You’re funny and considerate, and everyone enjoys your company." At this conjunction, Chouji tried to open his mouth in retort, but Sakura stopped him, proceeding directly into her next line of thought. "Okay, so you’re not exactly Ino’s type. But honestly? You're exactly what she needs.

“Ino’s lonely, Chouji. I can see it, and it breaks my fucking heart.” Sakura patted Chouji’s arm. “Ino's always had a soft spot for you. She was devastated when she thought you weren’t going to make it. You’ve got more going for you than you give yourself credit for."

"I don't know."

"It’s just a date, Chouji."

“Just a date, huh?”

“Yep.” Sakura linked her arm in his, leading him back onto the main street. “Besides, we both know you’re head-over-heels in love with her.”

Chouji blushed, a deep cherry red, and started sputtering. Sakura laughed.

“Just ask her, okay?”

Chouji sighed. "I'll think about."

"Good enough for me. So, here's the guest list. You can take this by to Ino later tonight. It'll be a great opportunity, right?" Sakura's feline smile was back in full force as she handed the small slip of paper to Chouji. Looking at her watch, she cursed again. "Shit, I’m late. See you later!"

Then she was gone, the force of her chakra-boosted speed leaving a trail of disheveled, grumbling people in her wake. Chouji looked down at the paper to see just who else Sakura was dragging into her ill conceived plot. The names of some of the finest shinobi he knew were written on the wrinkled parchment, his included among them. Chouji chuckled to himself as the full extent of Sakura's scheming became apparent.

That Sakura, she was a devious one.

**{ oOo }**

By the time Ino closed up shop for the night, she was positively fuming.

It’d been a slow day for flowers, being the middle of week and the time least likely for the dates which brought in most of her business, and it gave her sufficient time to stew over Sakura, Chouji, and the goukon. Ino wavered between being angry with Sakura or the situation itself, with the occasional incensed thought turned inward. But in the end, it was Sakura whom Ino decided was the ultimate source of her ire.

Upon returning home, Ino felt the compulsion to let all that simmering, pent-up energy out before she acted on the urge to go 'all kunoichi' on somebody - another Sakura-ism which Ino had assimilated into her own vernacular.

Ino opened several of her kitchen cabinets so that the inside of the doors were completely exposed; she'd had each of them reinforced when she leased the place, then outfitted with a series of targets, creating her own personal practice field. Then she retrieved a scroll of senbon and kunai from one of the pull-out drawers.

"Bitch.” A kunai went flying, landing cleanly in the center of the largest target. “How dare she take over _my_ house for her stupid party?"

Three more were let loose, two hitting their mark and one missing high and to the left.

"She knows. She _knows_ , dammit. She was fucking _there_.”

Ino switched to senbon, throwing them several at a time and in rapid succession, all while going through a series of evasive maneuvers.

“But does she care? No. Typical-fucking-Sakura. Always pushing people around, getting her own damn way.”

When her supply of weapons was spent, Ino yanked them out of the targets and began again.

“Taking my apartment hostage.”

A handful of senbon hit their marks.

“Forcing my hand.”

A pair of kunai dug deep into a red bullseye.  

“Making sure I have to be there when she damn well knows I'd rather be disemboweled than attend another fucking goukon."

Ino, suddenly needing a change of scenery, marched into her living room and threw open the door of her coat closet, exposing another stash of hidden targets.

“Oh god - Sakura and Sai. _Sai_. Best case scenario, we'll have insults and uncomfortable sexual banter, followed by my house being smashed to bits.” Ino flung her next set of senbon with reckless abandon, not even caring where they hit. The twang of metal piercing wood punctuated each word of her next sentence. “And that’s just the guests I know about. Damn… Chouji.”

Exhausted, Ino gave up on target practice and paced the length of her entryway. As she walked, she tugged roughly on her hair tie, tossing it angrily in the general direction of her sofa.

"Stupid, gullible Chouji. He's never done _anything_ to deserve the tortures of a goukon.”

She ran her hands through her loose hair, curling her fingers around fistfuls of it near her temples, and pulled in frustration. “Damn Sakura. Damn her secret agendas. And damn her unwanted, wandering hands, trying to lay claim to Chouji like he's-"

Ino paused mid-rant, having caught a glimpse of herself in her decorative mirror, and was disgusted by what she saw. She’d worked herself into a hot, angry mess - flushed and sweaty face, rumpled clothes, and her hair tangled up in knots.

"I am not jealous!" Ino shouted at her reflection.

Not half a second later, her doorbell chimed, and the noise startled her right off her feet.

"Fuck… I’m coming,” Ino yelled as the bell chimed again, rubbing her sore ass as she got back to her feet.

Ino slammed open her front door with a dramatic huff, prepared to give the unwanted intruder some much needed etiquette lessons on appropriate visiting hours; in the few steps it took to reach her door, she'd decided the fact that it was only just past 8:00 pm was irrelevant. But when she saw the person on her doorstep all her anger melted away.

It was Chouji. A very nervous looking Chouji. The expression on his face, which he tried to hide by looking anywhere but directly at her, sent an anxious fluttering to spread through her chest. Something was different about his demeanor, and it unsettled her.

"Oh hey, Chouji. Come on in," Ino said after a few seconds of silent, awkward staring. She couldn't tell if he noticed that she was uneasy, but since he didn’t mention her strange behavior she did her best to ignore his as well. Shrugging off the weirdness, Ino welcomed Chouji as she normally would. "You hungry? I've got some onigiri in the fridge."

Chouji nodded, so Ino promptly fled the room, happy to have found a legitimate reason to do so. Safely hidden from view, she rushed to the sink and turned on the faucet, splashing a handful of cold water over her face. Then she fell forward onto the counter top, leaning her forehead on the cheap formica surface, and took a deep breath.

“Dammit, Ino,” she whispered. “Pull yourself together.”

**.o.**

"Come on, Chouji. Pull yourself together," he muttered to himself, careful to keep his voice low so Ino wouldn't hear from the other room.

His stomach twisted, new knots growing over top of the ones which had formed after he’d decided to go through with Sakura’s suggestion. Ino was acting strange, out of sorts somehow - probably something to do with why her house looked like an event in the chuunin exams, Chouji assumed - and her behavior made the thought of asking her out all the more daunting.

It didn’t help, either, that she’d looked sexy as hell when she’d answered the door, her hair and clothes slightly mussed and her cheeks red with exertion. Her appearance was a complete departure from how Ino normally presented herself, and few people had the privilege of seeing her like this. Even as her teammate and friend, Chouji seldom saw her anything less than composed and wearing her public face. But he liked to believe the version he saw tonight - the flustered, imperfect one - was the real Ino, instead of the shallow image she erected for herself. Being reminded of all the beautiful potential that lay underneath her surface, getting a fresh glimpse of what she kept hidden, made Chouji’s words stick in his throat. It was almost too much.

“Courage, man,” Chouji whispered. “Courage.”

The quiet mantra did nothing to settle his nerves. He needed to speak up, to say something. Anything. Ino wasn’t stupid. By now, she’d definitely figured out that something was off about him tonight. The kitchen, while separated from the main room by a partial wall, was still close enough that a conversation could be easily held and he hadn’t said a single word. That alone was out of character for him; she wouldn’t need to take anything else into account.

His mouth went dry as bone, and Chouji realized he wouldn’t be able to ask if he had to look Ino in the eye. Still, he had to do it. He couldn’t live the rest of his life never knowing if Sakura was right. Chouji licked his lips nervously, swallowed down his fear, and leaped into the abyss with all his might.

"Hey Ino?” he asked, thankful his voice sounded more sure than he felt. “Would you be my date for Sakura's party?"

The sound of breaking glass came from the kitchen, followed by a heavy pause. When Ino finally did speak, it was in the same abrupt tone she’d used with Sakura in the flower shop that morning. "Was this _Sakura’s_ idea?"

Chouji was not a stupid man. Regardless of how little experience he had in wooing a woman, he understood this moment was a critical one. His life - romantic or otherwise - and likely Sakura's as well, depended entirely upon how he answered Ino's tersely delivered question. Shinobi learned young that it wasn’t wise to anger a kunoichi outside the battlefield; a kunoichi’s training involved many subtle, practical techniques not traditionally taught to men, many of which were aimed squarely at their sensitive bits. But Chouji never lied to Ino and he would not do so now, damn the consequences.

"Yes."

Muttering from the next room - much of which sounded suspiciously like cursing - was all the proof Chouji needed that the situation was not moving in his favor. That wall, the separation which was once his refuge, was now in his way. Chouji sighed, an exhale of self-deprecation. He knew better, knew this was a matter to be explained face to face.

Chouji’s felt as though he were under Sakura's jutsu again, his body warring against his conscience, but he stood up in spite of it. He passed through the doorway and guilt plunged into his chest, crushing his tender heart in its steely grip. Ino wore a scowl under her damp cheeks, and her shoulders trembled, though whether these reactions were caused by sadness or anger - or something else entirely - Chouji couldn’t tell.

"I am not crying, Chouji Akimichi, so don't you dare-"

Chouji interrupted Ino by cupping her face between his hands. Her skin was so soft and delicate under his palms. The contrast of her beauty and her expression of pain, pain which he was the direct cause of, nearly brought tears to his own eyes.

"Dammit, Ino, I’m sorry. If I had thought- If I had known, I never would’ve..." Chouji trailed off, uncertain what to say. Honesty bolstered his resolve, though, and after a second he found the words he needed. "Look... Sakura did want me to ask you, but I would never disrespect you by asking you out on someone else’s whim.”

Ino didn’t say anything, but she didn’t pull away either. Encouraged, he continued.

"Sakura was worried about you and the party, and wanted to make sure you had some backup. That’s all. No nefarious plots. No bad intentions. No romantic meddling... at least not on her part."

Chouji watched Ino, studied her reactions while he spoke. What he saw surprised him. There was confusion in her eyes and some lingering anger in the tight set of her lips, but Chouji could not detect any repulsion. It was a small thing, but it comforted him, made him feel like he could finally tell her the one thing he’d been keeping secret from her.

"To tell you the truth,” Chouji whispered, eyes closed and hands shaking, “I've wanted to ask you out for a while. Sakura just gave me the perfect excuse.” Chouji opened his eyes to see that Ino’s had gone wide with surprise, and the nervous energy he’d had when he first arrived returned with a vengeance. “But no pressure, okay? If you prefer, we can go just as friends. No big deal either way.”

"What do you want from me, Chouji?"

Dread gripped Chouji’s spine and he stiffened, every muscle suddenly tensed. He had braced himself for rejection, but not for this. Hadn't he made his intentions clear? Was Ino really going to make him spell it out for her? Or perhaps she was just playing with him. Chouji knew the stories, just as everyone in Konoha did. But until now he never could bring himself to believe that Ino was capable of such cruelty. Couldn't she just kindly put him out of his misery?

"I don't understand,” Chouji said through clenched teeth, angry and frustrated and hopeful all at the same time. “But if you're asking whether I want a date or an escort mission, I'd much rather have the date."

Ino smiled, a bright, beatific expression, and all the negative emotions which had built up within Chouji melted away.

“Then it’s a date,” she said. Before he could fully process her statement, though, she continued, her words flowing out in a rush. "But I’m not agreeing to be your girlfriend or anything, okay? Just one date. You got that?"

“One date?”

“Yep. One date.”

Overcome with happiness, Chouji swept her off her feet into an exuberant embrace, twirling her around the room. "Whatever you say, my lady!"

Ino giggled. "My lady?”

“Too cheesy?”

“Yes, totally. But I think I like it. Makes me seem like royalty." Ino tapped his shoulder. "Okay, okay. Now put me down before we break something. You're taking advantage of my good graces."

"I need to go anyway," Chouji said as he gently set Ino back on the ground. "Early morning meeting with the Hokage."

Ino nodded and followed him to the door, a light blush enhancing her pretty features. “Best not be late. Tsunade-sama’s a real bitch before she gets her noontime saké.”

Chouji stepped onto her front porch, then stopped as he remembered the errand that originally brought him to Ino’s apartment.

"Sakura asked me to pass this along to you." Chouji pressed the paper into Ino's palm and, in an act of impulse, he held onto her hand. His thumb ghosted over the pulse point at her wrist as he tugged her closer. Then, before he could second guess himself, Chouji placed a kiss across her knuckles. “Goodnight, my lady."

**.o.**

Ino waited until Chouji had crossed the street and walked out of sight before she closed her door. Then she stood in her entryway, staring at her hand.

Surreal.

It was the only way to describe it. Sakura turned her day upside-down with all her goukon nonsense, shaking loose emotions which Ino had worked hard - and with longstanding success - to press down. Then her best friend asked her out, coincidentally just an hour after she’d been forced to acknowledge she _might_ have more than just platonic feelings for him. To top it all off, he’d hinted that he’d had feelings for her. Feelings of a romantic nature. Which he’d been hiding. For an undisclosed amount of time.

_What the hell had happened to her perfectly ordered life?_

She should’ve told him no, right then and there. Ino knew that. But her stupid, traitorous heart had thumped wildly about in her chest at his words, a sensation she hadn’t felt since Sasuke defected. All because Chouji - her teammate, the one with whom she sparred and fought beside and who saw her at her most sullied - dared to treat her like a princess. It was a problem - a big problem.

Chouji was the last guy on earth whom she should consider dating. He was too nice, too innocent, and too good for  _her_ , the Ino who threw her love about with abandon. She was nothing more than a wanton woman with a pretty face, the whole village said so. She could hurt him. Her reputation would, without a doubt, hurt him. Ino knew all these things, and yet she let herself answer contrary to her instincts.

Surreal.

Yep, that truly was the word of the day.

Ino sighed and shook her head. It was much too late to continue dwelling on her predicament tonight. She wasn’t going anywhere and neither was Chouji, at least not until one of them received another mission, so she could figure it out later. It wasn’t the worse thing to happen to her, not by a long shot. In fact, if her life wasn’t so complicated she’d be pretty damn happy.

Ino lifted her hand, still warm and tingly, for closer inspection, and saw the wrinkled edge of the paper Chouji had given her. She’d completely forgotten about it, too wrapped up in her own thoughts. Ino unfolded the paper and revealed the feminine scrawl that filled the page. As she read, she broke out into a fit of giggles, the stress and tension of the day finally becoming too much for her to bear.

**.**

**.**

**.o.**

**_Party Guests:_ **  
_Sai_  
_Sakura Haruno_  
_Chouji Akimichi_  
_Ino Yamanaka_  
_Shino Aburame_  
_Hinata Hyuuga_  
_Anko Mitsuragi_ _  
_ _Rock Lee_

**.**

**.**


	4. Bravery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Author's Note (9/18/17):**  
>  Woohoo! Another chapter edited, only five more to go. (Ugg, my writing was so BAD...) 
> 
> Like the previous two, this chapter has been **heavily** edited for style, grammar, POV, and characterization since its original posting. A fresh read-through is highly recommended.

**.**

**.**

**{ oOo }**

_Eager eyes tend to get what they want_ _  
_ _When they learn to crawl on their hands and knees_ _  
_ _They're taught how to feast on the flesh that's beneath_  
_We build on lust, far from bravery_

**\- Sleep for Sleepers -**

**{ oOo }**

**.**

**.**

The strangled light of early morning filtered weakly through the drawn curtains of the hokage's office, a silent witness to the activity of the hokage's ever faithful assistant, Shizune. She was up with the sun everyday, flitting to and fro about Tsunade's workspace, cleaning, organizing, and fussing over the little details that so often escaped her leader's notice, all while turning a blind eye to the evidence left behind of the previous day's indiscretions. Today was much the same for the self-sacrificing kunoichi, yet today she had a bit more bounce in her step, more twinkle in her eye, and more elbow in her grease.

Shizune wasn't alone in her state of mind.

It seemed the whole tower was in a tizzy, the place's minions arriving at work early, ready to exchange speculations, rumors, and theories around the proverbial water cooler. The anticipation was infectious and, somehow, it managed to reach the hokage herself, compelling her to rise from her bed several hours prior to her norm, though still much later than her industrious companion. The morning found Tsunade primly sitting at her desk at a quarter to nine, rhythmically tapping her nails against the tension taking up residence in the pit of her stomach.

"Shizune, has Ibiki's report arrived yet?" Tsunade stopped abusing her desk just long enough to pin her assistant with an impatient look.

"No, not yet," came the reply, its joyful undertones further grating on the blonde's frazzled nerves. “I’m sure he’ll be finished soon.”

The entire war could possibly be riding on this and that knowledge weighed heavily upon Tsunade. Everyone was anticipating a great revelation to come from their newly acquired prisoner. But what if nothing came of it? What if they were back to square one, with no suspects, no motives, and no leads? Where would she go from here? How would she lead her people?

There were too many questions and not even close to enough answers. Tsunade could tick off the list of what they were sure of with the fingers of one hand.

One: They were sure that some outside force was manipulating civilians, through means still to be determined, into crazed mob style murders.

Two: They knew that whole villages at a time were affected, down to the very last individual, and anyone who managed to survive had no memory of anything leading up to the attack, just the vague recollection of burning flames all around.

Three: They knew that large-scale suppression of the aggressors usually resulted in the village "waking up" of sorts, but that was little better than blowing out a single match in the midst of a forest ravished by a wildfire.

Four: They knew, due to a lucky break by Suna's elite reconnaissance team, that a man with dark features and pale skin, which made the unusual tattoo on his neck unmistakable, had been observing the carnage near their border with the Land of Rain.

That was it, all the evidence, information, and intelligence with which she had to make these increasingly critical decisions.

All the while, the fires and the silence and the ever-increasing death toll crept farther and farther into the Lands of Fire and Wind. Without a way to combat what was going on, whatever it was, soon the Konohagakure and the last of its allies would also be swallowed up. As hokage, her people expected her, _needed_ her, to protect them. The stress of it all twisted all her muscles into knots, making her feel every one of her many years. She would need to find a damn good masseuse if she made it through this crisis.

A knock on the great doors rang out sharply in the silence of the room. Shizune rushed to let the anticipated guest in, but rather than greeting Ibiki or one of his underlings, the open door revealed Shikamaru.

"This is not a good time. Whatever it is, it can wait until later." Tsunade waved her hand dismissively at the visitor, her greeting full of the weariness she felt.

"Ibiki sent me with his report," he said, waving a manilla folder in front of his face. Tsunade straightened abruptly in her chair, now entirely focused on the young man. Clearing his throat, Shikamaru went on. "So far, it's not good. The prisoner isn't talking and Ibiki and his team have done all they can, considering the prisoner is a civilian. Invasive techniques are not an option, unless you give the okay."

"You want me to give the okay for full interrogation, Shikamaru? You know that goes against what we stand for. I-"

"Excuse me for interrupting, Lady Tsunade, but that was not what I was implying. No one wants torture the kid, let alone take the chance of the permanent mental damage that our more  _subtle_ approaches tend to inflict. Ibiki brought me in to help him run through the options we have.” Shikamaru stopped speaking just long enough to drop the file on her desk and take a seat. “As far as I can see, we only have three."

"Cut to the chase, Nara."

"One, we can release the prisoner without obtaining anything. Not the most ideal outcome. Two, you can approve a full interrogation and say to hell with moral repercussions. Again, not ideal. Or three," Shikamaru paused, leaning forward and bracing his weight on his knees, "we can employ some creative tactics.”

“Creative tactics?” asked Shizune, confusion creasing her brows.

“Yeah. This guy is scared, feels like he doesn't have a friend in the world right now, and he's at an easily manipulated age. You’d think he’d spill his guts, but he didn’t. Surprised the hell out of the interrogation team with his defiance. I noticed something, though.” Shikamaru smirked, his tired eyes sharp and bright. “When it was Anko’s turn with him, she got in his face. Normally it works with civilians, has them pissing their pants; the woman’s damn intimidating. But this kid, he blushed."

“You want to let Anko have another go?” Tsunade frowned, fingers curling into a fist. “Ibiki could’ve already issued that order. Stop wasting my time.”

“Anko already tried, with no results. She lacks the delicacy needed for the job. We need someone who can befriend the kid, not a-”

“A dominatrix?”

"I’m going to pretend I never heard that, Shizune.” Tsunade half-grinned at her assistant, then turned back to Shikamaru. “Delicacy, huh? Got someone in mind for the job?"

Shikamaru slumped backwards in the chair, arms behind his head. "My old teammate’s not out on a mission, is she?"

**{ oOo }**

Ino woke up in the wee hours of the morning, just as the moon had finally given up to the sun, somehow unable to sleep a moment longer. Something had been gnawing at her all night. She slept fitfully, in a constant state of motion and restlessness, as if she were running from something. Or someone.

_Or perhaps she was running to someone instead?_

Now that she was fully awake, though, she couldn't recollect even the smallest detail from her dream. Yet she felt its lingering effects: the erratic pounding of her heart and a deep sense of longing. Some form of nostalgia, heavy with melancholy and hope, tugged at her insides, and she exhaled a wistful sigh. It was strange, being so affected by something she couldn’t remember. She’d rarely felt so disconcerted in all her life.

A change of scenery, Ino decided, was exactly what the situation called for. There was no sense in dwelling on things she could do nothing about. Experience had taught her that it was a unproductive pursuit, one that usually ended in her nursing a migraine. Ino preferred action over introspection anyway, so she took a deep breath, made a plan, and prepared for the day.

Chouji had surprised her last night. It was only fair that she return the favor.

So Ino exited her apartment just after seven, dressed in a sweet lavender sundress and her hair falling loose down her back as she made her way to the Akimichi family grounds. The sultry summer wind whipped about, tugging at her hemline and threading through her hair. With one hand firmly curled into the soft fabric, holding it down lest a gust expose her undergarments, and the other trying in vain to keep her golden strands out of her face, she made her way to Chouji’s cottage. It made her miss her work clothes - the practicality of her tactical gear or the comfort of her form-fitting seduction wardrobe - and the ease of her ponytail.

Damn her stupid heart.

Damn Chouji for suddenly being so damned transparent.

She saw his expression when she answered the door last night, the way his gaze lingered on her hair as she flipped it over her shoulder. How he stared just a little too long at her legs in her pajama shorts, the ones she rarely wore because they were covered in piglets and cupcakes and _who the hell would expect The Mistress would wear something so childish_ , and then he promptly looked at the ground when she caught him. The surprise and admiration - the attraction - had been more than clear in his eyes. Chouji had seen her without all her pretense, stripped of the all the glamour and mystery that made her The Mistress, and he had _liked_ it.

And, dammit, she really wanted to see that look again.

_Dammit. Dammit. Dammit._

When she arrived on Chouji’s doorstep, Ino forced herself to knock before she could chicken out. Suddenly, everything about this spontaneous trip felt wrong. Like she was wrong. Damn, she shouldn’t be dragging him into her stupid, complicated life any more than he already was. She almost ran away, but then Chouji opened the door and his lips broke out into a wide, beaming smile.

 _Yeah,_  she thought, _that’s the look._

He was fully clothed in his civilian clothes, jeans and a button-down top, like he had been expecting her all along. "Hey, I was just about to head over to your place. You know, to see if you needed any help with the party?"

Ino leaned gracefully against the door jamb, a bright smile lighting up her face as well, relieved that he had the same ideas for the day that she had. The guilt that had begun to coil in her belly released, leaving her feeling almost light-headed. "Funny you say that. That's exactly why I’m here.”

“Really?” he asked, and Ino couldn’t decide if what she heard in his voice was sarcasm or hope.

“Yep. I was hoping you’d help me out with the menu. Nobody has as excellent taste as you do for these kinds of things.” Ino laid the charm on a little thick as she voiced her request, just in case he had any hesitation about joining her. “It would really put my mind at ease."

Ino soon realized the extra effort wasn’t needed, however, as Chouji chuckled and admitted, “I was going help even before the flattery.”

  **{ oOo }**

They walked back from the store in comfortable silence, Chouji slightly behind, hands full of groceries and admiring Ino's shapely silhouette. It’d been a productive morning and, to his pleasant surprise, strangely domestic.

Together, they’d created a menu that would accommodate Sakura’s request for a light, healthy dinner – _no carbs, please; seriously, Ino, they go straight to my ass –_ with Anko’s repeated demands for red meat – _there’d better be steak at this shindig or, so help me, I’ll be tempted to gut you in your sleep_ – and worked out a grocery list before heading out.

At the store, he’d pushed the cart while they discussed which ingredients would work best and how to pick out the freshest produce. He learned that Ino was a frugal shopper, her nose wrinkling adorably as she worked out which cuts of meat were the better deal, and that she even though hated onions, she made herself eat them. When he asked her why she’d force herself to do something she hated, Ino flippantly answered, “Picky eaters are unattractive, I’m told.” He’d laughed at that, a hearty chuckle so full his eyes squished shut, and Ino patted his forearm in response. It’d been the most casual of touches, but his heart soared.

"Hey, give me the keys.” Ino turned to him, holding out her palm. “I'll open the door for us."

“Okay, just give me–” Chouji gave Ino a sheepish look, trying to figure out how to reach his keys. After a few seconds of unfruitful fidgeting, he tried to transfer all the bags to one hand. "Shit, I don't think I can– Dammit, these things are heavy.” He tried one more time, but almost dropped everything and decided it was a bad idea. He tilted his head back, staring at the clouds for a moment, and let out a frustrated huff. “Do you think you can get them yourself? They're just in my front pocket."

Chouji watched as Ino paled and then, a mere second later, turned a horrible shade of purple-red.

"Who the hell do you think you are? I never thought– ” She looked away, clenching her fists. Her voice, hushed and hard, bit into him like sandpaper and her expression was as cold as ice. “No, I am not reaching in your pocket to find your fucking 'keys'.” Ino’s fingers moved in vicious, sharp curls, her air-quote motion wounding him as easily as if she’d thrown a kunai. “Yeah, I'm in special ops. But that does _not_ mean you can proposition me."

Her chin trembled, but her stance stood firm.

It broke his fucking heart.

"Kami, I’m an ass." Chouji shook his head, his lips a thin line of self-deprecation. “I deserved that. And I definitely could have phrased my suggestion better. I didn’t mean– I would never– I just... Damn, this is hard with you looking at me like that.” Chouji rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck as best he could with his hands still occupied. “Just… Look, okay?” He jutted his chin out, motioning to his hip. “The key fob is sticking out of my pocket. No indecent proposal, I promise. You can grab it without even touching me."

"Chouji. I–"

Ino canted her head to the left slightly, her blue eyes watery as she held his gaze. She walked up to him slowly, step by step, then grabbed the keys and unlocked the door, holding it open for him. After he set the groceries down in the kitchen, he looked around, expecting her to be in the room with him. He thought for sure she’d follow him to help put the stuff away. But she wasn't there. He found her still in the living room. In fact, it looked like she hadn’t moved since she closed the door; her back was to the room, her hand still on the handle.

“I’m sorry,” she said, still facing the door. He heard her take a deep, shuddering breath as he walked towards her. “I don’t why I thought you of all people–”

“Hey.” Chouji hesitated just behind her, not knowing what to do. But then she sniffled and he was gone, moving on instinct. He laid his hand on the crown of her head, his thumb brushing over and through her hair. "Hey, seriously. Don't worry about it. If I dealt with as many perverts as you do on a regular basis, I’m sure I’d react the same way.” He rested his head against the side of hers and whispered in her ear, “I’m sorry for being insensitive.”

Ino turned and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her head in his chest. "You're too good for me."

Chouji tensed in her hold, disbelief coursing through every cell in his body. Did she really think that? There was no way that could be true. Everyone knew she was out of his league. Seriously, _everyone knew_. He moved his hand from the top of her head to lift her chin and studied her expression. It was open and honest, in way that he hadn't seen on her since they were kids, and full of something like guilt. For the second time in a day, Ino broke his fucking heart.

"Don't say that," he said, soft and gentle, like a barely whispered prayer.

Ino’s mouth opened slightly, as if she were surprised by his response. Then she nodded and released him, walking towards the kitchen. "Well, we have a lot we need to do today, so we should just..."

“Get to it.” Chouji rocked back onto his heels, shoving his hands into his pockets. If she wanted to pretend the whole situation never happened, he’d follow her lead. He was the asshole who shoved his foot in his mouth, after all. “Yep. So...”

"So we need to– well, let’s see.” Ino tucked her hair behind her ears and surveyed the bags on the floor. “We need to put the food away here. Then we need to go to my place to decide the best furniture and lighting arrangement. We also need to plan out the party activities and decide what we’re going to wear."

"Okay, give me a minute to put the food away and we'll head to your place."

“Thanks.”

Ino flopped onto his couch with a flourish, elegant in a way that only she could be capable of, and Chouji escaped to the kitchen. In the middle of organizing his vegetable drawer so the new items would fit, his doorbell rang. After a short pause, it rang again, repeatedly, almost as if someone were just holding their finger down on the button.

"I'll get it, Chouji," Ino called back to the kitchen.

He was already on his way to the door, though, so he followed her as she muttered several colorful curses under her breath. She was every bit as surprised as he was to see Kakashi at the door, one hand on the buzzer and the other holding up a rather tattered looking book in which he was too engrossed to even bother looking up at them.

Ino swatted the hand on the doorbell. "What the hell do you want, Kakashi?"

"The hokage wants to see us. And by us, I mean you and me. Not him. Let’s go." With that, he turned and lazily walked away. "Oh, and don't change. What you're wearing is perfect."

"What the hell was that?"

“Apparently, the hokage wants to see me and what I'm wearing? I don't know. That man is so cryptic sometimes." Ino cupped a hand around his elbow and gave it a light squeeze. "I'll stop by after I see what Lady Tsunade needs. See you later."

“Yeah, okay.” Chouji shuffled his feet, looking down, as Ino brushed past him. As he watched her descend the steps of his porch, he called out, “Ino, wait!” When she turned around, he asked, “Are we good?”

“Yeah... Yeah, of course. We’re good.”

Then she was gone, chasing after Kakashi.

Chouji watched her until she was out of sight, wondering why her voice suddenly sounded so strange to his ears.

**{ oOo }**

"So… Chouji, huh? Wouldn’t have pegged him for your type, but–" 

"It’s none of your business," Ino snapped.

She shook her head, trying to dislodge the irritation settling in as an ache at the base of her neck. It would do her no good on this mission, especially since she couldn’t even figure out what exactly was bothering her. Maybe it was the the fact that she was high-tailing it down to a prisoner's cell in flimsy five-inch heels. The shoes hadn’t been a problem while she was leisurely walking around town with Chouji, but they were killing her feet now. Of course, it could just be Kakashi’s presence.

"Stop leering at me.” She infused her glare with as much disapproval as she could. Unfortunately, her mentor seemed completely unfazed. “It's gross. You'd think you've never seen someone in a lab coat before."

"Hey, I'm just making small talk here. No need to bite my head off." The older man continued stare at Ino as they made their way down a long sterile corridor. "Besides, you should be flattered. You are every bit the naughty nurse in that outfit. Really, just check out page 39."

Ino shoved the book back in his face. "Doctor. I'm a  _doctor_ , not a nurse."

"Whatever. The image is perfect." The sound of the turning of a page added to the sharp clip-clop of her shoes. "Can we slow down? It's hard to read when I have to walk so fast."

"No."

"The prisoner's not going anywhere."

Ino decided it was best to ignore Kakashi's verbal prodding, flipped her hair and proceeded on her path.

"Oh, I see. Your hot date with Chouji got interrupted. Don't feel bad. Once he sees you in that getup–"

Ino stopped Kakashi mid-sentence by introducing his face to the concrete wall, one of his arms pinned sharply behind his back and the chakra-enforced weight of her body flattening his out against the hard surface. That she had managed to get past his defenses was quite disconcerting for him, if the shock in his eyes was anything to go by. But her anger didn’t let her revel in her victory; she still had a point to make.

"Listen here, old man, I was not and am not going to be having a 'hot date’ with anyone. That includes Chouji, got it?" He held his free hand up in surrender and she released him. "I. Don't. Date."

"Fine. Be in denial.” Kakashi rubbed the wrist she’d manhandled. “But we both know there's no reason you can’t date. Just your own damn hang-ups."

“Must be prisoner cell 127.” Ino pointed to the pair of Anbu standing a few paces down the hall, redirecting their attention to the mission at hand. She’d been the focus of the conversation long enough. "That’s us, so if you're ready to quit being a pain in the ass–" Ino sighed, giving up. Kakashi had his nose back in his book, leaving her little to gripe about. "Whatever. Let's just get this over with."

"We've got from here, guys." Kakashi dismissed the guards, donning his old ANBU mask. "You ready,  _Doctor_  Yamanaka?"

Ino paused outside the entrance, taking a brief moment to smooth out her mussed hair, adjust her clothing properly, and put on her best professional face. A slight incline of her head signaled to Kakashi that she was ready and he opened the door, leading her in.

The prisoner was sitting in the farthest corner of the room, knees curled into to his chest, knuckles white from the death grip he had around his legs. His dark eyes, barely visible under his equally dark, unkempt fringe, were glazed over slightly. He looked as if he had been on alert so long that his brain had just shut off, showing marked signs of sleep deprivation. There was no doubt in Ino's mind that this kid had just been waiting for the worse case scenario. But the pity she felt for the guy was overshadowed by her need to take advantage of his mental state.

She could show all the compassion she wanted after the deed was done.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Yamanaka. I've been sent here to check you for injuries and help you in any way that I can. Do you think you could move to your bed? It would be a lot easier to examine you there, rather than on this cold floor."

Ino held out her hand, infusing all the goodwill that she possessed into that gesture, and her eyes reinforced the kindness and help that was her purport. The young man gazed up at her, his eyes slowly coming back into focus. His reason appeared muddled, likely from some type of trauma and a distinct lack of sleep. It took several attempts, but Ino's words finally made their way into a coherent mind and the prisoner seated himself on the thin, lumpy padding that passed for a bed in this part of the tower.

He still adamantly refused Ino's hand and all other forms of physical help she attempted to offer.

"I’m going to administer a physical exam, plus a chakra scan to check for internal injuries. I need you to remove your shirt and pants." Detached authority, learned from studying Tsunade's bedside manner with difficult patients, infused Ino's voice. She was in charge here and the sooner her mark realized that, the better. Of course, Ino knew it wouldn't be that easy. The guy was looking at her like she had just asked him to jump off a bridge or sacrifice his firstborn.

"Oh, of course. I apologize for being so inconsiderate." Ino turned her back to the patient and addressed her partner, giving him a meaningful wink. "Guard, you'll need to leave for this part of the examination."

"I'll be right outside if he gives you any problems."

Even with Kakashi gone, the prisoner made no move to remove his clothing. Ino studied his expression carefully, noting the faint pink dusting his pale cheeks. She pressed her lips tightly together to keep the grin from forming on her face. This was going to be too easy.

"You have been seen by a doctor before, haven't you? You should know I can't properly check for injuries with your clothes on."

All he did was stare– first at her, then at the floor.

"Look, I'm not some big, bad shinobi out to get you." His grip on the mattress under him tightened as he dug his metaphorical heels in, so she tried a different tactic. "I’m scared of them too, you know… Look, I'm just a civilian doctor and I have a job to do. So I’m–” Ino sighed, wringing her hands. “I’m sorry, but if you’re not going to take them off, I'll have to do it for you."

She sat down on the bed next to him, slowly reaching for the buttons on his shirt. Suddenly, his eyes found hers, big as saucers, and his every muscle froze in place. When her fingers curled around the first button, the one nearest his collarbone, he flinched slightly and hung his head, trying to hide the growing flush of his cheeks.

"I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to help. But you have to let me or we’ll both be in trouble."

Ino moved to the second button, lightly grazing his partially exposed chest with the back of her hand. She felt his breath hitch as she worked her way down to the next one. She popped the button out of its place, his shirt falling open farther, and his head lolled to the side, his eyes shut as he exhaled heavily. His reactions to her were so delicious they sent tingles down her spine.

"You know, this would probably be a lot easier on both of us if I knew your name."

Moving down to the fourth button, Ino bent forward, more than what was strictly necessary, and the lavender dress shifted to present an impressive amount of cleavage. The change in view visibly flustered the young man. His fingers twitched, curling and uncurling around the fabric of the mattress, and his gaze trailed across the room in erratic patterns as he tried to avoid staring at her chest. It pleased Ino to note that he was largely unsuccessful.

She had almost reached the fifth and final button, conveniently positioned in the young man's lap, when he finally found the self-control to clear his throat.

"Ummm... thank you. I– I'll do the rest." His voice was soft and deep, full of an adorable, awkward sort of hesitance. "I’m Kino."

“Hello, Kino,” Ino said, a soft smile on her lips.

She slowly released her grip on his shirt, maintaining eye contact with Kino as she did so, and stood up. He removed his shirt and, after another brief moment of hesitation, his pants and dropped them both on the floor. Ino stepped around the clothing and into his personal space, surveying his body for external injuries. A light touch of her fingers here and there had him changing positions so she could check him thoroughly. Other than some bruising around his wrists, he seemed fine. She applied a small amount of chakra to the contusions to ease any pain. It was a small, unnecessary detail, but one that would lend credence to her cover story.

"Please lie down on your back with your arms at your sides. I’ll do the chakra scan now."

Ino gave his chest a gentle nudge and Kino obeyed, though he looked far from comfortable. “Sorry, it’s just… well, I’ve never had a chakra scan before.”

“You won’t feel a thing, I promise.” Ino smiled in reassurance, squeezing his hand.

“I’m not sure if that makes me feel better or worse.”

Ino chuckled, light and feminine, and said, “Don’t worry. I’ll keep you distracted. Okay?”

Kino gulped. “Okay.”

The pale green glow of Ino's scanning chakra lit up her hands and she waited for him to indicate that he was ready. He nodded. Ino slowly passed her chakra down one side of his body, section by section, starting from the top of his head. The faint light illuminated the definition of his masculine frame. Kino was fit, all lean muscle and smooth skin, and the sight gave her inspiration for experiences she would later implant. "How old are you, Kino?"

"I turned sixteen last month." This time there was confidence when he answered, and the slightest hint of flirtation. “According to my village’s customs, I’m an adult now.”

"Congratulations!" Ino crossed to the other side of the bed, so she could scan his other half. "We don’t really have a tradition like that here. Oh, but I was sixteen when I got my first boyfriend! Kami, he was gorgeous.” She shifted her gaze to the left, coyly avoiding his face. “Looked a bit like you actually."

His cheeks flushed red again, though she suspected this time it was with something other than embarrassment. She moved her hands farther up, brushing ever so slightly over Kino’s thighs, and came to a stop near his hips. With a wistful look of longing in her eyes, she pretended to be caught in the reverie of her former boyfriend. She sighed, as if distracted by regrets, and dropped her hands to rest on Kino’s stomach.

"What happened?"

Ino started when he spoke, dragging her fingers across his skin as she pulled them back to herself, then shrugged as she continued her scan. "Oh, nothing really. His folks moved to a different village and he had to go with them. I just wish… Never mind." Ino finished and held out her hand to Kino, supporting him as he sat up. She didn't let go of his hand. "What about you? Do you have girlfriend?"

The question, through Ino's skillful articulation and chakra enhanced pheromones, was transformed from innocent inquiry to an unspoken proposition.

Kino gravitated closer to Ino as if some outside force was pulling him into her space, his body suddenly alight with hormones and the logical side of his brain suppressed. This was her favorite part of the job, that precipice that she’d push her victims to, that point where their desire for her so filled their senses that she was the only thing they could see. It was a strange kind of intimacy, and as she lacked most other forms of it in her life, she craved it. The power. The control. The  _lust_.

Kino was so close. She had him. He had but to say one word to clinch the deal.

"No."

The answer came as a breath in her ear, her jutsu making Kino bold and careless and everything that Ino wanted at that exact moment. Right now, she was no longer Ino. She was The Mistress, and The Mistress wanted that kiss, that adrenaline, that seductive fantasy every bit as much as the man she was romancing, even knowing that it wouldn't be real. She pressed him against the bed frame, the whole of her body in contact with the whole of his, their heat and hunger and arousal intermingling. It was time for the kill.

"Good. Kiss me."

**{ oOo }**

At least an hour passed before the light tap-tap of Ino's knock signaled to Kakashi that her unique interrogation was done. The open door exposed a flushed, slightly mussed Ino, a triumphant deity of beauty and trickery. For Kakashi, it was a proud moment. He had truly taught her well, if the look on the prisoner’s sleeping face could be used as witness.

In contrast, Ino’s expression was grim. "We need to report to Tsunade."

**{ oOo }**

"Were you successful?"

"Yes, Lady Hokage." Ino inhaled deeply, the hustle up to the Hokage's office and the rush of her previous exploits having left her breathless.

"Well? Details! I need details!” Tsunade was in no mood to wait around, though. She pounded her fist on her desk for emphasis and the wood creaked in protest. “What did you find running around in that head of his?"

"He definitely saw something.” Ino sat down, grateful to get off her feet. “Kino – that’s his name – he ran across a small cave… or tunnel, maybe? I don’t know; there was something unnatural about it. He seemed like he was familiar with the area, but he mumbled something to himself about it not belonging.”

“You think it was created by a jutsu?”

“Probably.” Ino nodded. “Kino walked part way into it, but heard some voices approaching and hid in the shadows of a boulder. I think there were two men, if the size and shape of their silhouettes were anything to go by. One told the other to make sure that all the villagers came to his party if he wanted to be paid. Kino didn't recognize the voice, but I did." Ino leaned forward and looked Tsunade directly in the eyes. "It was Sasuke."

"Are you sure?" The hokage pinned her with a doubtful look.

“Yes.”

“I see.” Tsunade's expression visibly hardened. "Was that all?"

"No.” Ino shook her head. “The next day a rich merchant came to town. He wanted to hire some of the men for a job at his estate and when they agreed, he threw a thank you party for the whole village. Kino was suspicious after what he heard, so he hid instead of attending the party.”

“He didn’t try to warn anybody?” Shizune asked, her expression skeptical. “That seems–”

“I don’t think he had anyone to tell. It didn’t seem like he was particularly close to anyone. I don’t think he even has any family.”

“As sad as it is, his sob story has no bearing on the state of our village.” Tsunade waved her hand dismissively. “Stick to what’s relevant.”

“Yes, Lady Hokage,” Ino said, recalling where she’d been in her explanation. “Nothing unusual happened at the party. It wasn’t until the next night, around dusk, that the villagers and the merchant started lighting fires. Kino tried to stop them, but they didn’t respond to anything he said or did. It was like he wasn’t even there. He got scared and ran into the forest, where Chouji found him. I’m pretty sure he was the only one who didn't go to that party."

"And he's the only one that didn't lose his memory,” Kakashi added. “I can personally vouch for that, since I had to process all the surviving villagers."

"That means that something at that party was tainted. Unfortunately, the fires destroyed everything so we won't have any samples we can test." Tsunade rubbed her forehead, trying to smooth the worry lines beginning to take up residence there. She was too tired to fix her henge now, though. It would have to wait until later. "It’s more information than we had before, though. Well done, Ino."

**{ oOo }**

Ino's high was more or less gone as she left the Hokage's tower.

Left in its place was overwhelming fatigue and a gnawing, empty feeling. She decided to head straight home. There she would be able to rest and reflect, maybe find something edible in the fridge. It seemed like forever since she had eaten breakfast. She’d only had a light meal, a banana with a glass of milk, fully expecting to go out to lunch somewhere with Chouji.

Dammit.

Ino felt sick. In the thrill of the mission, she had forgotten about their plans – _about him_ – his very existence overridden by her need to control, by her insatiable lust. A flood of memories ran through her mind, accompanied by a myriad of emotions that left her feeling gut-punched.

_His smile when she passed her genin exam._

_His pale, thin body in the hospital._

_Team meals at Ichiraku's._

_Post-mission reunions._

_The feel of his hands around her waist as he twirled her around her kitchen._

_The soft reverence in his voice this afternoon._

_His loyalty._

_His friendship._

Somehow, somewhere deep inside her, despite the fact that it made absolutely no sense, Ino knew that she had betrayed those memories today. Just like she knew the only way she would ever be comfortable again would be to purge herself of either her conscience or her guilt. She felt the truth of it in the shallow depths of her soul.

Ino ran the rest of the way home, throwing open her door and rushing to her bathroom.

Her stomach, unused to being tossed about by the force of such churning emotions, decided that guilt was too difficult a pill to swallow.


	5. Frail

**.**

**.**

**{ oOo }**

_When it comes to my deception, I've always been a fool._   
_I fear this love reaction, just like you said I would._

**\- Jars of Clay -**

**{ oOo }**

**.**

**.**

Guilt is a powerful emotion.

It can cause the gentlest of people to trade their innate kindness for cruelty, as they seek to absolve themselves from this most heavy burden. But the converse is also true. It can also cause the brash and self-centered to look outside themselves, their eyes newly open to the value of caring for others. At times, it can even prod monsters into some semblance of humanity as these individuals, instead of absolution, seek retribution, desiring to make things right by their own hands.

What incarnation it assumes, and whether its results are lasting or a fleeting sentiment, is largely dependant upon the acuteness in which the emotion pierces the heart and, of course, the person in question.

Actions which result from guilt often show what is hidden underneath the everyday masks, the true character of a person.

**{ oOo }**

Slumped on the floor, her shaky arms draped over the seat of her toilet, Ino fully felt the aftermath of her actions. Her stomach was as empty as her soul felt.

But not her heart.

Oh, no, her heart was full to overflowing, but it was not with those delicate feelings that most young women welcome. It was full of self-hatred and anger and regret. These feelings, these awful, condemning feelings, brought with them questions, ones that she was not sure she was prepared to answer.

Instead of addressing them, she did what came naturally. She tried to wash them away. But the scalding water of her shower was not sufficient, nor was any amount of scrubbing Ino did, viciously thorough though it was. She left the shower more agitated than when she had entered, the small bathroom a cloud of smothering steam and fragrance. She opened the door hoping to breathe more freely, but the reprieve was not forthcoming.

Ino looked to the bathroom’s gilded mirror for answers, but the steam distorted her vision, revealing nothing. Frustrated, she wiped her hand across the surface, exposing a small swath of her reflection. It wasn’t enough. Desperation grabbed a hold of her and she swiped at the glass frantically until she could see herself in her entirety. She stood there, completely naked, until the steam faded and a chill settled over her skin. Then Ino made a decision.

If she couldn't outrun the questions, Ino would meet them head on. After all, the only person she could be truly honest with was herself and she, Ino realized, had not been honest in a very, very long time.

After a few minutes of introspection, she understood that there was only one question that needed to be answered. All the others were mere byproducts of her inability to address it. But it was the one that she wanted to face the least, because to face it would mean she would have to change. She felt the reality of that down to the marrow of her bones.

But change was something Ino mostly definitely did not welcome. Years of hard work had gotten her here. Sacrifice and humiliation had gotten her here. Manipulation and loss of life had gotten her here. Determination had gotten her here.

_The Mistress._

It had been her goal for so long and once she’d achieved it, she'd let nothing come between it and her. Nothing.

Still, the question persisted. It ran through her head in dizzy, nauseating circles. It taunted her with _what if’s_ and _maybe’s_ until she no longer knew what she wanted. Was life as The Mistress worth all she had sacrificed? She'd always thought so. But if that were true, then why...

_(Why did she feel so different today?)_

That was the question, the perfectly simple question that nagged her mind.

Kino was no different from countless others whom had been her marks. His youth was but a trifle; she'd had younger missions than him in spades. Nor was he the first to have his mental virginity taken by her. He wasn’t even the first she’d found physically attractive; and, Kami, had she found him attractive. Ino traced the contours of her hips in the glass, fingers trailing in suggestion as she took a long, hard look.

No, this had nothing to do with him.

This was something she brought into the interrogation cell with her. Something which had caused her to go above and beyond the call of duty, to act out in heightened levels of aggression and lust. Sure, she always enjoyed the mental foreplay, the power trip she got from seducing another’s mind, but that was as far as she ever let it go. It was as far as she ever wanted it to go. On every other mission, the first kiss had been the last.

But not this time. With Kino, she’d taken her time, attacking him with her mouth and hands and hips to the point that her jutsu would not have even been needed. They’d both been stripped down to their undergarments before Ino had the sense to rein herself in and put him to sleep. Ino had to embellish Kino’s memories very little to complete the fantasy required for her cover.

Ino studied herself, eyes roaming over her pale skin, trying to find the puzzle piece she was missing. Memories of the day filtered through her synapses like the rapid fire of kunai, her mind frantically searching to pinpoint a target. When she found it, her eyes went wide in shock.

Then she roughly rubbed her hands over her face and groaned into her open palms.

_Well, fuck._

Kakashi had hit the proverbial nail on the head. She was in denial and all it had taken was being confronted with that denial to make her snap. Kino had merely been a convenient body for her to take her anger out on. Damn, she hated it when that old man was right.

Well, Ino was done - with the guilt, with the denial, with whole damn messy situation that her life had become.

Ino changed into a pair of jeans and a faded, worn tee, and pulled her hair into a ponytail. Then she walked out the door, leaving all her crutches behind her. She had a new, self-imposed mission, one which called for her to drop all the pretenses – the makeup and fashion, the expectations of what she was supposed to be. At the door, she exchanged her slippers for a pair of sandals, rather than her customary heels, and tapped the picture glass twice, ready to face the world and herself.

 

 

**{ oOo }**

Dusk was just starting to descend upon the village, bathing everything in long shadows and the last brilliant rays of a cotton candy colored sunset. But Ino had no time for admiration; she'd leave that to Shikamaru. Her feet thumped the pavement in a muted, rhythmic dance as she made her way to her destination, The Green Beast.

The Beast, as the patrons called it, was the focal point for Konoha nightlife and was rumored to be like a second home to The Mistress. Ino couldn't deny it. She did spend a fair bit of her evenings there, either out of boredom or out of need for a little practice. It didn't hurt either that there was always some guy, or several, there that wanted to pay for her drinks or her dinner. It didn't hurt that she was the center of attention either. Not Naruto. Not Sakura. Just  _her_ , Ino. She was the one that was wanted there and Ino would be the first to admit that she really, really liked getting her ego stroked.

But her reasons for coming were of a completely different nature this time.

Ino was coming to face her demons and, as she walked through the bouncer lined entrance, she saw they were all here to greet her. The guttural beat of the music begged her body to dance while sly smiles of suggestion and intoxication and lust pulled her farther in. Ino looked around her, the scales falling from her eyes revealing the lonely truth.

There was nothing but misery here, hiding behind a beautiful facade. There was nothing of prestige here, nor glory or honor. No one here revered her service for the village or thought of her bravery and sacrifice. Each soul was here simply to find another warm body to fill the void in their solitary existence for the night and her body just happened to be the one most sought after. This had not been and was not her goal.

Making her way to the bartender, Ino parted the sea of pheromones and heat and bodies and, in an act finality, paid off what little was left on her tab. Ino left the den of debauchery without a single look back. Her only acknowledgement for that place, the place that once had such a hold over her, was one phrase whispered in quiet defiance.

"Never again."

**.**

**.**

**. ~ { oOo } ~ .**

Ino arrived at Chouji's place completely out of breath.

She hadn't meant to run, but when she felt the fresh, clean air on her face, there was no longer a choice. There was nothing else Ino could do but run.

Run from all that she had been.  
_(the shallow, ambitious child searching for recognition)_

Run from all that she had become.  
_(a corrupted mind housed by an innocent body)_

Run to her rescue.  
_(the future where she could be a person, a real person, of value to someone)_

How that could happen was beyond her, but Ino knew she had to try, had to take that first step. Living in denial was no longer an option Ino was willing to accept. Before she could change her mind, her hand rang the bell that only a few hours earlier had been a catalyst, at the hand of a silver-haired jounin, to what Ino was sure would become a revolution inside her soul.

"Hey! You're back!" Chouji opened the door widely, beckoning the blonde inside with a look of concern. "You know, I was beginning to worry. I didn't expect you to be gone so long."

And that was it.

_That look was her undoing._

It was so genuine and unsuspecting, and just so  _Chouji_. Her treacherous eyes caused tears to well up against her will because it was then that Ino knew, knew why she had felt that she had betrayed him.

In his look was love, and he probably didn't even realize it.

_How long had he'd been looking at her with those eyes?_

"I... I'm sorry."

"Ino, are you sick?" The look went from concern to gentle worry. "Come on, sit down and I'll get us some tea or something."

Ino allowed him to lead her to the sofa, but when he turned to leave she reached for his arm, making him stay. "No, I'm not sick. I'm sorry. I'm apologizing." The words came out softly and humbly, but there was a determination in her eyes.

She would see this through.

She  _would_.

She...

"For what? Being late? That's nothing to shed tears over." Chouji chuckled and gave her a warm, radiant smile, wiping her tears away with his oversized hands. "Wow. This really isn't like you. And what's up with this outfit? Where's the makeup? You never leave your house like that. Are you sure you're not sick? Do you want me to call Sakura?"

For all her bravado, Ino's courage left her.

She was going to confess everything,  _everything_ , to this man. But how could she now? How could she burst the bubble he was living in, where she was innocent enough to be crying over merely being late?

It wasn't a matter of trust.

She could trust Chouji with her life, down to the tiniest detail or dirtiest secret. He would never turn his back on her, no matter the reason. But she couldn't bear it if the way he looked at her changed, if he started to see her the way the world did. And so Ino did the only thing she could do. She swallowed the confession and held her tongue, resolving to live from this day forward a life above reproach, to become as close as possible to what he saw in her.

"No, no. I'm fine. It was just a tiring meeting with the hokage and I'm starving."

"Well, I know the cure for that. Let's go grab some dinner and do a bit of shopping. You need a dress for tomorrow, right?" Chouji stood up and offered his hand to her.

"I suppose." Ino slipped her hand inside of his, the warmth making her smile. "But you have to call Lee and get his sizes. No one is coming to the party in green spandex. No one."

**.**

**.**

**. ~ { oOo } ~ .**

When Ino finally got Chouji, arms laden with bags upon bags of party supplies, back to her apartment, she was back to feeling mostly herself.

The gnawing feeling in her stomach had been filled with ramen and good company. It had been a lovely evening, idyllic really, like a young girl's dream of a first date. They leisurely strolled through the Konoha side streets hand in hand, sometimes in comfortable silence, sometimes in carefree conversation. It was like most of the outings she'd had with Chouji, but there was a new subtext to their interactions that was decidedly different. After all, people don't normally hold hands with their friends, don't blush when eyes meet. They don't feel the rush of butterflies coursing through their veins just from being in proximity with a friend.

But Ino felt all these things, felt them for the first time since the black-hearted rebel had betrayed them all, and she was surprised to find that though they were exhausting, she was none the worst for it.

"Hey Ino? Where do you want me to set this stuff down at?"

"Uh, anywhere is fine. I don't even want to mess with it right now." Ino sat down, fingers massaging her temples, lines of fatigue showing on her face. Despite the positive note in which it had turned, the day had proved to be very taxing. And much of its troubles, she reluctantly admitted, had come from her own quarter.

"Seriously, are you okay?" Ino wrinkled her nose at him, eyes daring him to go on. "I know, I know. I already asked."

"And I said I'm fine." It was Chouji's turn to give her a look, though his reflected more concern and less threat. The look itself held very little power over her. The persistence in which Chouji used it was another story. "Fine. I have a bit of a headache. Nothing a good night's rest can't cure."

"Let me see." Chouji knelt down in front of her and gently removed her hands, replacing them with his own. "How's this?"

Ino's voice was suddenly lost to her.

Chouji had touched her before, quite often in fact, but never had it felt so intimate. His thumbs were circling her temples with delicate, even pressure, while the rest of his fingers were slightly tangled in her now loose hair. But that wasn't what was getting under her skin. It was the closeness of his body heat, his soft breath on her cheek, the way her bent knees brushed against his hips as he leaned in towards her.

"Hey, relax. This won't work if you're all tense." The laughter in his eyes taunted her, but she tried her best to comply.

It wasn't like he was making a move on her.

_He was just helping a friend._

"Sorry." Ino let out a long breath, releasing the tension with it, mentally willing each muscle group to stand down.

And Chouji was right. But a few minutes later, Ino's tormentor had been rubbed out of existence, leaving only some sleepiness in its place.

"Better now?" Ino nodded her head and opened her eyes. Chouji was close, maybe a hand's breadth stood between them, and his eyes were focused only on her. "Good."

"Thank you." Ino found her reply reluctant to come out with his eyes so on her.

Chouji didn't seem to notice. His hands left Ino's hair slowly, trailing down the sides of her arms, and came to rest on the sofa on either side of her, trapping her where she sat. "So, are you going to tell me what's really bothering you?" His eyes were quick and clear, and he had seen right through her.

"No." Her blue pools begged him not to ask further. Ino knew she wouldn't lie to him, not if he really wanted to know. But she didn't want him to know, not anymore. It would wreck this, whatever this was, and that, she had a premonition, would wreck her forever.

But her fears were for naught, because Chouji was a gentleman and would not press the issue. Instead, he pressed his forehead to her own, the action causing delicious flutters on her behalf. "Okay." His reply was simple, but hanging on the inflection was the promise to listen should Ino have need of an ear and this promise was not lost on her.

In the tenderness of the moment, impulse took control of her lips and sealed the interlude with a mark on the gracious man's cheek.

"Ino?"

Shock and hesitance were written clearly on his face, as was happiness and wonder. A small smile from her answered his half-spoken question. Hands moved to her face, lingering, memorizing all the beauty, and his lips made to claim their prize. Forward, forward, he went, as if in slow motion, and Ino could see all the years of longing and pining begging him to savor every moment. Her eyes closed in anticipation, hoping that in that moment she would be everything he believed she could be.

_Knock. Knock._

And the spell was broken.

"Ah! Seriously? If that is Sakura I'm going to smack her right across that huge forehead of hers!" Ino pushed past Chouji to get to the door, the frustration rising in her voice. "It's what, 10 o'clock? It's way past visiting hours! Seriously!" Ino, out of breath from her rant, flung the door open with one hand, the other placed impatiently on her hip.

"Dr. Yamanaka?" Ino blanched. Smiling with shy earnestness, her iniquity personified waited upon her doorstep.

"I... umm, is it alright if I come in for a minute?"

Senses left her, rendering her mute and paralyzed. Of all the days, Ino was sure this one was destined to be her undoing. There had to be a limit to the number of soul-searching, heart-wrenching events that could happen to a person in a single day. Perhaps fate was bored and sent tomorrow's troubles today, allowing Ino's life to play out like late night entertainment for the cosmic powers. Perhaps her karma, if there was truly such a thing, was catching up to her. Perhaps she was just the victim of bad timing and coincidence. Ino didn't know. What she did know was that should she shut that door right now, the problem would go away, albeit temporarily. She would have nothing to explain to the man on her sofa. She could hide.

From him.

From her sins.

From  _herself_.

Instead, she invited her impending calamity inside.

"Hey Ino! Who's at the..." Chouji stopped mid-thought, looking with curiosity at Ino and the dark-haired guest as they entered the main living quarters. "Isn't that the, um, prisoner?"

"This is Kino. I believe you were part of the team that escorted him here, Chouji?" Ino was in no position to trust herself, afraid of her erratic heart, so she let The Mistress take over. The Mistress was all business, small talk and niceties, and the mask fit well, revealing none of the woman who lived underneath. A stunned nod from her companion was all she needed to go on. "Kino, this is a good friend of mine, Chouji Akimichi. I know as a shinobi he may be a bit intimidating, but I assure you that his bark is much worse than his bite."

"Yeah. He was actually pretty nice to me, from what little I remember. It's good to meet you under better circumstances." Kino extended his hand towards Chouji.

"Yeah, you too." Chouji shook the hand with no hesitation. "So you were released?"

"Yeah. That's what I'm here for. Apparently, the doc here put in a good word for me." The youth inclined his head in indication to Ino, a grateful smile gracing his masculine features. "Your hokage realized that I was no threat, so I'm free to go home. Thought I should say thanks before I take off."

"There's no need for thanks, Kino. I was just doing my job."

"I know." His reply was gentle, full of extra meaning, and he leaned in close to her, lips next to her ear, in a way that was suffocating. Ino held her ground despite the screaming urge to take a step back. "But thank you for doing it so... thoroughly. I'll never forget you." And he sealed it with a kiss to her brow.

"I won't forget you either." Her voice came out even, in hushed tones, and spoke perfect truth. Try as she might, he would never be erased from her memory; his touch would remain as scars over her heart, forever reminding her of her folly.

"Well, it seems I interrupted, so I'll be going now. Besides, I'm eager to get back and rebuild."

**.**

**.**

**. ~ { oOo } ~ .**

In silence, Ino had walked Kino back out the way in which he came, giving him the briefest of goodbyes that she could deem polite. The door had clicked back into its normal position, leaving just Chouji and Ino, alone in awkward tension. Needing something to occupy the space and quiet and tension between them, Ino had started to put away the effects of their shopping spree. Chouji had simply sat back down on the sofa, head in hands, supported by elbows on knees, his face, his eyes, hidden from her view.

The rustling of plastic and paper, the banging of drawers and the swishing of closet doors were the only sounds that either made for several minutes.

"He was what the meeting with Lady Tsunade was about. It was a mission." It wasn't a question, just a statement. Ino paused in her movement as the sound crossed his lips. He was starting to put two and two together. But there was still so much to do, so she continued her attack on the pretty paper bags. "He's a civilian, so Ibiki wouldn't be able to do much with him. If he wouldn't talk voluntarily, their hands would be tied. But," a deep, tired exhalation of air accentuated his train of thought, "but, not yours. He was your mission."

"Yes."

"That was what was bothering you earlier." This statement wasn't spoken as a question either, no infliction to indicate that it should be, but it was and they both knew it. Ino finally completely gave up on her activity and turned on Chouji, her head held high in proud kunoichi fashion.

"Of course not. A mission is a mission. I've had a hundred like this before and more than likely I'll have a hundred after." Her voice was flat and distant, hard and unbending as steel. But her eyes! Her eyes refused to cooperate with her facade, so she held her head even higher, refusing to meet his gaze.

" _Ino_." He was softly pleading, hands trembling in his lap, wishing against reason for the brutal truth.

But she couldn't give it, not without revealing all her secrets. And what would that gain her? Nothing. She'd rather him think her a whore and reject her than expose her innocence and give him false hope. Because that's all it was. Because she was much more than just her body, she was her heart and soul and mind. And her heart and soul and mind had all been painted scarlet long ago.

So Ino wouldn't give him what he wanted.

She would give Chouji what he needed.

The brutal  _un_ truth.

"You know what I do, Chouji. Do you really want me to spell it out?" There was no anger in her voice as she began, just subdued resignation. He did nothing to stop her. A haughty flick of her hair steeled her resolve to drive the knife right into his kind heart. "I am The Mistress. My specialty is seduction. You want to know why I'm so tired? I spent my afternoon stealing that young man's first time in a most  _vigorous_  way. And when the next mission comes my way, I'll take it happily. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

Ino shook with adrenaline after her speech. She had wanted to be calm, to be steady, to not let any of the terrible, turbulent emotions she felt filter to the surface. But she was frail, so much more than she had ever known. So with each word, the pitch of her voice lifted and unwanted reverberation echoed, twisting maliciously through the syllables, a cruel crescendo sent to slap Chouji across the face.

He paled and closed his eyes, fists held tight on his knees. Ino watched with diligence, awaiting her ruin. Chouji arose and made his way to her. With a shaky hand he caressed her face, starting at the hairline, working his way down the side of her cheeks and coming to rest under her chin. Ino didn't understand and it was more than she could handle with his eyes on her so intently, so she closed her own.

"Open your eyes." The softly spoken command fell from his lips and though unwilling, she complied.

"Why?"

"You always check me after a mission."

"Chouji, what does that have to do with anything?" It was asked not with impatience, but with genuine curiosity.

But he simply smiled, his expression tainted with undercurrents of sadness, still searching her face. Several more minutes passed before he would expound on his answer.

"My specialty is taijutsu. When I get injuries, injuries that you are most determined to find and treat, might I add, I get them on my physical body. I think I may have been neglecting yours, since they're not as easy to spot. I think... I think with your specialty, yours must be inflicted on your heart."

Fresh saline rolled down her face unbidden, following the tracks carved out earlier upon her face and loosening her mask temporarily, and yet she was unashamed. She had thrown her worst at him, spared no evil, no attack, and by some miracle that look had survived intact. It was the most beautiful thing Ino had ever seen, that round, lovely face staring back at her. "See. I told you that you were too good for me. You're too good for anyone."

"Don't say that." Chouji was suddenly fierce, anger apparent on him. "When I realized what he was here for, do you know what I wanted to do to him? I know it's your duty and I accept that. And you. But it doesn't change the fact that I will hate every man lucky enough to touch you. I'm not the saint you think I am."

"I know you're not a saint. You're just better than I am." Ino tenderly covered his rebuttal with ruby lips. Brown eyes went wide in surprise, and then shut in pleasure. Ino found innocence on his mouth and so kept the kiss in a manner the same, but emotion was in it nonetheless. Her eyes twinkled with happiness and teasing. "So, will you hate yourself also?"

Chouji chose that moment to stop holding back.

Weaving his hands through her hair, he brought his lips back to hers and claimed them as his own. He was gentle, like Ino was but a dream and anything less than perfect adoration would cause her to vanish. Nimble fingers soon made a trail of heat up his back, stopping to tangle in his unruly hair and bringing her body flush against his in the process. Ino wondered at the strength and masculinity housed there, all of which had previously escaped her notice. Her touch had caused a most pleasant, instantaneous reaction that brought this revelation into even stronger focus.

Chouji's kiss deepened, a large, firm hand encircled her waist, decreasing the space between them into nothingness, teeth nibbled hungrily on her bottom lip, and his heart beat so wildly that Ino could feel it between their connected chests. Chouji put his everything, his passion, his loyalty, and his love into his every action. When all was done, they gathered their breath while brow rested against brow and Ino felt it, from the crown of her head to the very tips of her toes.

For this man she would fall in love.

"So how about now? Do you hate yourself?"

"Maybe."

_Knock. Knock._

"I'm not answering this time."

Ino snuggled into Chouji's massive chest, trying in vain to hide from another unwanted intrusion, and twisted her fingers up in the front of his shirt like an anchor tying her to him.

"Yeah." Chouji buried his nose in blonde hair, enveloping his senses with her feminine scent. Contentedly, he wrapped both arms around her small frame in a loose embrace.

_Knock. Knock._

"Go away!" Ino grumbled loudly at the door. "Whatever it is, it can wait until tomorrow or I don't want it!"

_Knock. Knock._

"I'll get it this time, okay? Whoever it is doesn't seem to be going away." Chouji mumbled reluctantly, not really wanting to let go.

"No! I'm comfortable right now." Ino sighed into his chest, sending tingles down his spine. "You're like a big cuddly teddy bear, you know?"

_Knock. Knock._

"Fine. Go get it and send whoever it is away. It's almost midnight for heaven's sake!" Ino puffed in exasperation.

Chouji chuckled at Ino's antics, amused by how the combination of sleepiness and kissing had caused her to suddenly act out in an adorably childish way. As he went to dispose of her late night visitor, Chouji decided he would have to file away that knowledge for use at a later date. "Yes, my lady."

"Finally! I thought you'd never... Hey, what are  _you_ doing here?" A familiar voice floated into Ino's ears, causing her to immediately head for the door, her quick step an indication of her current state of mind. "There you are, Ino. I was just..."

The visitor was cut off mid-sentence by Ino's palm smacking the middle of her rather large forehead with enough force to lay said visitor flat on her backside. Ino stood over her, a large grin of victory and triumph plastered from ear to ear, and extended her a hand of truce.

"What in the..." The visitor grunted in pain. She was helped up off the doorstep and lead inside Ino's home, rubbing her head as she went. "What was that for?!"

"That, Sakura, was for being late."

"Wait a minute. Late? I didn't even say I was coming over." Sakura's face went red with confusion and anger. "What in the world is going on here?"

"I'll see you tomorrow, my lady." Chouji bent down, kissing Ino's cheek, lingering ever so slightly before pulling away and heading for the door. "Have fun torturing Sakura."

Ino laughed out loud, a wonderful release of energy straight from her middle, and it tasted of freedom. The door clicked shut and Sakura looked at her in amazement, mouth open. Calculating eyes soon put two and two together, though, and for the second time in a single day one of her friends was able to see right through Ino's mask.

"You just realized that you're in love with him, huh?"

"I think I just might be."

**.**

**.**

**.**

_Maybe it wasn't much of a mask after all._


	6. Curare on Your Lips

As his head finally came to rest that night, cradled softly in the soft embrace of his down pillow, Chouji Akimichi was far from comfortable.

His bed certainly did feel like a small slice of heaven on earth, a great leap above his flimsy bedroll and the granite safe house floor. But no matter how he tried, his mind would not stop running circles around the events of the day. Her scent clung to him, having seeped into the cloth of his shirt, becoming a constant reminder. He could have just changed his garments, he supposed, but he wouldn't. Ino had let him in, had let down her guard in a most bittersweet way, and he was not ready to let go of that. Come morning, would she still allow him the same intimacy? He hoped so. And it was not just because her lips were so utterly soft and delicious or that her body pressed against him warmed him to his very core. Others, Chouji grudgingly admitted, knew that side of Ino. But only he was privy to the things she held deep in her heart, what little she chose to share. Of this he was certain and that knowledge made him yearn for more of her soul.

Of course, that was where the discomfort came in. Was he ready? Could he handle what he would find there? Only years of self-control and his want to shield Ino from further distress held his murderous desire at bay when Kino leaned into her, whispering who knows what into her ear. At that moment he had been systematically going through each of his jutsu, trying to find which combination would cause the most pain regardless of lethality, plastering a good-natured smile over the rage he felt. One finger, that was all it would've taken for him to crush that scrawny boy into little more than a stain on Ino's carpet.

With a deep breath, Chouji expelled as much of the malice out of his system as he could. It was the first time he had met any of Ino's marks personally. That had to be why it had affected him so badly. Until now, the blonde was so far out of his reach that he could conveniently ignore what it meant when she was sent away on assignment. But would he still be able to turn a blind eye? He feared that morbid curiosity would eventually get the better of him, but the ghost of her on his lips, in his arms, made rational thinking impossible.

Exhaustion slowly took hold, muting the questions and his insecurities gave way to golden dreams.

**.**

**.**

**. ~ { oOo } ~ .**

Chouji awoke the next day remarkably clear-headed, albeit much later in the morning than he was usually apt to. Sleep truly was a good friend, refreshing his previously anxious mind. There was trouble enough in one day without borrowing from the next, Chouji sagely decided. So instead of worrying over what he could do nothing about, that which was unknown or caused him doubt, Chouji went over of little what he was sure.

He was in love with Ino, that much was certain.

If there was a chance to win her heart, it was also a given that he would most definitely take it.

That Ino was worth it, so much more so than her self-deprecating heart was willing to believe, was also beyond doubt.

These were undisputable facts written upon his heart. Building on this foundation, there was only one direction for him to take next and that was to determine where he stood with Ino after last night's developments. It was the logical and unavoidable thing to do. Filtering through the clutter of his thoughts, putting away many for another time, Chouji made that goal his focus and reached for his cell phone, just within range on his nightstand.

It took several rings, but Ino finally picked up, her voice deep and rough from lack of use. "Hey."

"I woke you. Sorry, I'll call back later." Thoughts of tangled sheets and mussed hair caused the man to blush in spite of himself.

"No, no! It's okay." Her voice came out slowly, sleep still having a hold on her. "What time is it anyway?"

"My clock says it's 10:30. Actually, I just woke up myself."

"So you're still in bed, too? Then I don't feel so bad." A soft moan came through the earpiece as she stretched out her languid body. "Sakura, get off me.  _Now_. And go home already."

"Umm, Ino? Is this a bad time?" Chouji barely choked out his question, new thoughts of a different kind of indecency coming to the fore of his consciousness, before he heard a loud thud, which was soon followed by a steady stream of cursing.

"No, no. Sakura was just too tired to go home last night and she hates my sofa. Says it gives her cricks in her back." More curses came through the phone as Sakura tried to yell her unedited version, apparently for the whole complex to hear. "And get the girl on girl fantasies out of your head. If I swung that way, I'd pick someone more attractive than her. Ouch!"

"I- No! I wasn't thinking anything like-" His denials fell on deaf ears as sounds of a struggle on the other side overtook what he was trying to say.

"Oh seriously, Sakura, go home. And stop smacking me!" Several smacks and thuds interrupted the conversation. "Chouji needs to come over-  _humph_ \- and help me get things ready for  _your_  stupid party. And I don't- o _uch_ \- want you here.  _Hey_! That's  _my_  phone. Give it back!"

"Hey Chouji, you need to hurry and get over here. Ino says she needs your big, strong, manly hands for help with some things that she just can't do herself, if you know what I mean." Sakura's voice dripped with sarcasm and innuendo. She was obviously having great fun at her friend's expense. "She says- ouch! What was that for? Ow! Okay, okay, I'll give back the phone. There's no need for things to get ugly, right?"

"Chouji?" Ino was on the verge of being breathless when the phone was finally back in her possession. The scuffle had sounded fairly impressive from what he could hear. "When can you be here? I think I'm going to need help throwing out the  _trash_."

"Give me thirty minutes."

**.**

**.**

**. ~ { oOo } ~ .**

"You sure got here in a hurry." Ino stretched, her hands extending towards the ceiling as she answered the door. The action caused the fabric of her thin tank to cling to her torso and Chouji had to look away. Despite what Ino thought, she was much sexier when she was like this, real and not dolled up. She turned a delicate wrist upward, exposing the face of her wristwatch "That was, what?"

"Twenty-seven minutes. Well, yeah. I was afraid you and Sakura would kill each other." A deep, uneasy chuckle rolled out of his chest. "Besides, you sounded like you wanted me to come quickly. But, if I got it wrong I can always come back later. Closer to the time of the party, you know? I mean, I didn't mean to make assumptions. I completely understand if-"

"Chouji?"

"Yeah?"

"Stop freaking out on me."

"I'm not."

"Uh-huh." The woman's arms wrapped around her chest and her hip-shot stance punctuated her skepticism.

"I mean, just because I ramble when I get nervous and now I'm rambling. It doesn't mean anything."

"Come on, I'm still me and you're still you. That won't ever change. I work hard at making sure others only see what I want them to see and you know that. So I can understand how taking my words at face value may be confusing. But with you, I'm the closest to honest that I get." Ino, her eyes soft and warm, closed the distance between them, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and resting her head on his chest. The tension he had been holding all morning released and he let his head sag in relief while his hands snaked around her waist. The blonde allowed it without a single complaint, verbal or otherwise. So he still had some touching privileges and she was still trying to be open. That was a step forward. "Better now?"

"Yeah." His breathing rustled her hair in a way he found fascinating, distracting him his previously determined goal. He had the whole day to find out exactly where he stood, after all. And right now where he stood seemed amazingly good.

"Good." Her head turned upwards to face him, a sly smile hiding her devious intentions. With a quick, playful smack to his spiral infused cheek, Ino walked away. "Well, come on. We've got work to do, remember?"

"Huh?" Chouji watched her walk through the entryway of her kitchen. Obviously, he didn't have as much effect on Ino as she did on him, not if she could just walk away like that.

_A guy could wish though._

"Hey you!" Ino's head appeared in the doorway, peaking back at him. In jest, he pointed at himself. "Yes, you! Really, why are you just standing there? I thought you were supposed to be in here trying to impress me?"

"I- what?" The confusion on his face sent Ino into giggles, and that reaction was far from reassuring. Causing a woman to laugh at your ignorance did not seem like the best way to garner a favorable opinion.

"Well, you may have earned yourself a date, but I'm still not your girlfriend." She burst into a fresh set of giggles and made a dash for the interior of the kitchen.

That evil woman, that vixen, was playing him, twisting him around her finger like he was but a piece of string.

_Oh, but what a beautiful finger it was!_

"Yes, my lady! I am at your service." A dramatic bow and a sloppy grin completed the effect. There was no way Chouji could beat her and they both knew it, so he would just play along. It did not hold quite the same satisfaction as having her in his arms, but following her lead, wondering where she would steer him next, was exhilarating. "Now what can I do to impress?"

**.**

**.**

**. ~ { oOo } ~ .**

For the next couple hours, Ino had him arranging and rearranging every piece of furniture she owned in an attempt to get the most optimal seating scheme and intimate atmosphere for that evening's festivities. Ino had a remarkable eye for detail, Chouji learned through his exertions, and if even the smallest article was off, she would order him to start over again. After the tenth formation, he decided it was in his best interest to take advantage of a pair of chakra enlarged hands, helping the transitions go more smoothly and quickly. Nineteen ended up being the winning number, after which Ino let him have a rest, complete with a sizeable lunch, while she took over working on the lighting configuration and fussing with decorative pillows.

It was nice, sitting on her living room floor, his fatigued muscles cooling down while he watched her work. The blonde was a constant hum of activity, concentration showing on her brow as she became more and more enrapt with her goal, eventually losing all consideration of the man taking up residence but a few feet from her. It gave him ample opportunity to study her.

Ino was normally so alert, sensitive to the stares she elicited most everywhere, so he had never dared to take this kind of liberty before. To let his eyes linger over her lean legs, fully exposed by her obscenely small cotton shorts, was a rush unlike anything he had previously felt in his short lifetime. To be able to observe unhindered, while she pulled up her offending hair into a messy bun, her feminine shoulders now bare but for two tiny straps holding up her top, was downright erotic. Not knowing when another such chance would come his way, Chouji memorized every inch of her he could see, from the baby-fine hairs at the nape of her neck to the vaguely star-shaped scar on her right hip.

"Just what do you think you're looking at?" So engrossed was he in his reverie that Ino managed to catch him in the act.

Luckily for him, the girl seemed far from angry as she settled herself down next to him.

"You, actually." He wasn't the only one surprised by his boldness, not if Ino's lack of a comeback was any indication. Chouji found it particularly gratifying that he had been able to pull her strings a bit, especially after her apparent enjoyment of his earlier torment. But his heart was kinder than hers, and he lacked the necessary experience, so the man moved on to more mundane topics. "So, what else do we need to do?"

"The food is the only thing left, other than for us to get ourselves ready."

"Thank goodness. I'm beat." Chouji twisted his torso, trying to get his tight muscles to release. "But wait... What are we actually doing tonight? Aren't we supposed to have some kind of activities or something?"

"Yeah, yeah. But we don't need to do anything to get ready for those after all. Sakura decided that she wants this to be a 'typical' group date. That means karaoke, which she is taking care of, and 'truth or dare'. So cliché." A wrinkle of her nose showed Ino's aversion. "Of course, with our guest list, the 'dare' part of it is just not going to work. I don't even want to think about it." Shudders ran through the blonde's body.

"So how's that work?  _Truth or dare_ without the  _dare_?"

"Well, it's all about strategy." When Chouji seemed confused, the girl elaborated. "Ask me a question. Something so ridiculously personal that I wouldn't want to answer in a million years."

"Like what?" Ino's glare was tinged with impatience. He looked away. "Okay, fine. Personal and impossible, right? Let's see... Umm, are you- are you in love with me?" Chouji wanted to smack himself. Under pressure he had cracked and the worst possible thing is what managed to come out of his mouth.

"Pass." Ino didn't even bat an eyelash, her poker face firmly intact. "Okay, now that I've rejected that one, you get to ask another and I have to answer this one no matter what. Like I said, it's all about strategy. Got it now?" He gave her a cursory nod. "Okay, so make the next one count."

"How'd you get that scar?" Rough fingers gently grazed the slender window of skin peeking out between cloth, running over the faint mark that graced the swell of her hip. It had piqued his curiosity ever since he first spied it.

"I-" Ino stopped to clear her throat, her voice suddenly strangely high-pitched, before she started again. "I got it on a mission with Sakura and Anko. Well, not during the mission, but after. We had finished up early and Anko wanted to stay the night in a real bed, so we headed into the nearest town. Sakura and I decided to check out the town and got picked up by a couple guys looking for a couple more girls for their group date. I convinced Sakura it was fine. Besides I had a jutsu I was working on that could use a little practice. Well, I was dumb, using a jutsu on civilians that I hadn't perfected yet, and it backfired. It was supposed to have very mild effects and should have only worked on the guys. But the girls went violently crazy and Sakura had her hands full trying to subdue them. Of course, that left me with the guys, who by that point were a different sort of crazy. Well, I was just lucky that Anko was next door getting drunk. Our ruckus disturbed her  _happy place_ , or so she said, so she put quick stop to everything."

"What was the jutsu?" And there it was, his curiosity getting the better of him. He knew better than to ask. Her hands were shaking ever so slightly and her face had gone pale. Her manner of speaking was very similar to his own rambling earlier in the day, too rushed to be her natural cadence. This was something Ino did not want to share, did not want to remember, and here he was, forcing it out of her.

"It's called Lust's Trickery, a way of chakra enhancing pheromones." Focusing on facts rather than memories seemed to have a calming effect on her though; her voice was back at a normal, even pitch as she answered. "You know, I didn't have to answer that. You don't get three." Ino pressed a hand into the breadth of his shoulder, using it help herself off the ground. "Okay, enough lazing about. We have food to make."

"Yes, my lady." Chouji rose and trailed behind her as they headed into the kitchen. The man was suddenly taken by an idea, and wanting to clear out the last of her melancholy, he chose to act on it. "Hey, have you ever used that on me?"

Mischief twinkled in his eyes.

Ino looked at him like he was crazy. "No, of course not."

"How about we try it out and see what happens?" The big man waggled his eyebrows at her in a bit of playful baiting. "I'm sure you've perfected it by now, right?"

"Chouji Akimichi, you pervert!" The blonde punched him in his chest, matching tit for tat, her cheeks rosy from the implications his previous statement held. "Get to cooking."

"Alright, alright. You can't blame a guy for trying." Ino cast a menacing glance his way, causing Chouji to back pedal. "I mean, wow, you throw a mean right cross."

"Yeah, yeah. Nice save." Humor ran through her words and he knew he was forgiven. "Look, I have to get ready. The guests will be here in two hours and I cannot greet them smelling like this. Can you work on the food without me? We both know I'd just be getting in the way."

"Sure, get out of here. When I'm done, I'll head home real quick to get ready."

"Don't be silly. You brought your stuff with you, right?" Chouji nodded in the affirmative. "Then you can just get ready here. Help yourself to the guest bathroom." Ino ruffled his hair as she left the room, leaving him with a giggle and one last command. "Don't get any ideas,  _Naruto_."

That left Chouji to finish up the last of the preparation with only his own mind for company, but a slowly growing smile.

Thankfully, the meal that needed to be prepared involved very little finesse, because Chouji was decidedly distracted. For now, he was content. While Ino's statements went to the contrary, to him they felt very much the couple today. His attempts at flirting did not go unanswered, which greatly improved his confidence, and he had never seen her so unguarded, so comfortable around anyone. The fact that it him, the guy that should have no chance whatsoever, amazed him and gave him hope. Maybe good things would happen between them tonight.

For the first time, it seemed like a real possibility.

**.**

**.**

**. ~ { oOo } ~ .**

Ino had just finished her personal preparations and was sampling Chouji's culinary handiwork when the doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of the first guest, a full half hour early. As Ino made her way to the door, she shouted a warning back to Chouji making him aware of the new addition. This early it could only be one of two people, Sakura or Lee.

Ino had her bets on Lee.

She was proven correct as she opened her door to reveal the shinobi, for once spandex free, as per her designations. Ino was happy to note that the taijutsu master cleaned up pretty well, courtesy of the outfit, featuring an emerald tee with a scrolling golden dragon, which she had picked out for him. He had even taken her advice, given along with the new clothes, to sweep the heavy, bowl-cut fringe to one side a bit. Of course, nothing could be done about his bushy brows, not without making him look wholly un-Lee like, and even Ino had not the confidence to try it.

"Good evening, Miss Ino. You look very lovely."

"Thank you." Ino motioned for him to come inside. "You're a little early, so we're not quite ready yet. Can I offer you something to drink while we're waiting?"

"No thank you, Miss Ino. I am sorry if my early arrival has caused you any inconvenience." Lee gave her a sheepish look. "I was hoping that you would be able to offer me some advice."

"Sure, Lee. Sit down and tell me what's on your mind."

"I am nervous about tonight's festivities. I have been on several group dates and blind dates, but the blossoming love of youth has been... elusive. I would like to make tonight a success, but..." The man let his sentence trail off into awkward silence.

"But you don't know where to begin." Ino gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Is that it?"

"Yes! That is it exactly!" Encouraged, the taijutsu master clenched his fists. "You are beautiful and successful kunoichi. I am sure that with your help I can finally feel the blossoming of a mutual youthful love!"

"Well," Ino had to look away from his earnest, unblinking eyes for a moment to squelch the giggles that feared would soon bubble to surface. "The first thing you need to do is to determine who will be your target. That will help you develop a game plan. Tonight, Sakura, Hinata, and Anko will be here. You need to think about how you feel about each of the ladies and who you are most compatible with."

"I see." His brows scrunched in thought. "I have learned that nothing I do will make an impression on Miss Sakura's heart. I believe it to already belong to someone else. As for Miss Hinata, Shino has confided in me his most fervent desire in regards to her and I would not be a man if I were to break the bonds of our friendship with such a betrayal. That leaves Miss Anko and you, does it not?"

"Yes, I suppose." Furrows creased her brow as he looked at her in a most ardent way. Ino did not like where his line of reasoning was going. She did not want to be the one to crush his confidence, especially so soon after their pep talk, with a rebuff.

"Hey, Lee. Good to see you." Chouji, finally finished with his shower and dressed, heartily shook his friend's hand. "Wow. Ino you look... um, yeah. I'm shutting up now before I get myself in trouble again."

"Perfect timing." Relief coursed through Ino and she rose to hug her rescuer. With Chouji by her side, a verbal rejection would be unnecessary. Surely, even Lee could read the budding atmosphere between Ino and her teammate. Then again, perhaps a hug, even one as  _cozy_ as she shared with Chouji, would not be enough. Lee was a hugger; he hugged  _everyone_. There was a chance he wouldn't understand the implications of her gesture, so she would need to up her game. She leaned slightly out of the embrace and pulled Chouji down with a finger tucked into the neatly pressed collar of his shirt, planting her slightly parted lips firmly on his unsuspecting mouth.

To say that she took both men by surprise was an understatement.

"Congratulations, Chouji! I had not yet heard that you were a couple. Miss Ino is a most wonderful woman." As he excitedly shook his friend's hand, contemplation returned to his oversized brows. "That leaves only Miss Anko, I believe. What should my strategy be?"

"Just be yourself, Lee." Ino sighed. Was there anything else she could say? It seemed pretty hopeless to her. "And under no circumstances are you to say  _blossom_ ,  _flower_ , or  _youth_  in the same sentence."

The doorbell saved her from having to expound on her answer.

"Allow me the honor of being the doorman tonight, Miss Ino. I am sure you have enough other hostess duties to attend to. Please consider it my thank you for your advice."

"Thanks." Ino's half-hearted answer didn't even reach him as he left the room. "Oh Chouji, what have I done?"

"Don't worry so much." Brown eyes disappeared into the crinkles of upturned cheeks. "Anko likes to dish out abuse and Lee doesn't mind taking it. I think it'll even out."

Lee soon returned with none other than Hinata, a vision in azure simplicity, who was blushing crimson over the profuse stream of compliments now being thrown her way by the enthusiastic shinobi. The years may have turned the once timid girl into confident woman and fierce kunoichi, but this particular brand of attention was something that she had developed little resistance to. Sympathy was written upon Chouji's face and Ino rolled her eyes, realizing that it would be her duty to set Lee straight should he choose to continue with this behavior. But once again, Ino was saved by the impeccable timing of a newly arriving guest, the sounding bell triggering responsible action in her self-appointed butler.

Silence, a much welcomed respite, settled over the sitting area and the three occupants took that moment to mentally prepare for the next encounter. When Lee next returned, with Shino in tow, the bug user having traded in his customary overcoat for a fitted tee and smart black blazer, he was noticeably calmer, something for which Ino was grateful. Time had seen fit to show her many of Lee's many good sides and she found that her natural tendency was to root for him because of it. Unfortunately, it was hard for him to find romantic success when he so glaringly put his faults on display. The blonde had been hoping tonight would be a breakthrough for him, but she had pinned all her hopes on Hinata's good nature, being unaware of Shino's amorous intents. Now all she could hope for was that Anko would be in a merciful mood.

**.**

**.**

**. ~ { oOo } ~ .**

The seven o'clock start time came and went without the advent of anymore arrivals. Ino took the liberty of passing out Chouji's handmade appetizers, while hiding her fuming thoughts centered on a certain medic-nin, behind a cheery facade. It wasn't just the fact that it was supposed to be Sakura's party that had Ino up in arms. The party needed some new blood and it needed it fast. Chouji was doing his best to keep the small talk going, but between the Hyuuga's natural shyness and the bug user's stoic, one word replies, even he couldn't save the conversation.

For ten minutes, the odd couple kept her waiting. Had Ino not been so impressed by Sakura's dress, a revealing, ruffled piece of pink femininity, she would have beaten the girl down where she stood. Instead she grit her teeth, swallowed the offered apology, and sent Sakura out to give Chouji some much-needed back up. Sai, on the other hand, stayed back to report to Ino.

"So the hag tells me that I have bartending duty tonight."

"Yes. Follow me to your 'bar'." Blue eyes narrowed in disgust as she led him to the kitchen. "And cut the crap. I can't believe she still falls for that act of yours."

"True. The extent of her naivety never ceases to amaze." Inky orbs quickly scanned the area, looking for the supplies he would need and rearranging them as he saw fit.

"Whatever. Just hurry and confess to her. Put  _me_  out of  _her_  misery. What are you waiting for anyway?"

"You know exactly what I'm waiting for." Sai's expression softened, sad contemplation flitting across his pale face.

"She's over him, you know."

"Perhaps." The man scanned the ingredients on the countertop. "So, what am I making?"

"I don't know. Whatever you can make with ice, sugar and all this citrus. Just don't put any alcohol in anything." Ino turned to face him completely, her finger shaking in admonition. "And I mean it, not in  _anything_. I cannot stress this point enough. Seriously, Naruto won't be the only one with an unflattering phallic nickname if Lee gets a hold of even the smallest drop."

"Very well. In that case, please make sure someone searches Anko's person upon entry."

The hostess then left Sai to his own devices, now on a new mission of her own. That snake woman hated Ino, for unknown reasons, and attempted to make her life miserable any chance she got. It most likely had something to do with the group date incident, since they had been at least civil until then, but Anko refused to say. Ino did not want any new incidents tonight and had planned on giving Anko a wide berth. So while finding someone willing to frisk Anko was not way up on her to-do list, it had to be done. She supposed it would be most appropriate to have a female do it, but that really limited the options.

Sakura would also be likely to start a fight given the history, a series of drunken fights regarding Sannin mentors, between the two hot-headed kunoichi. Why Sakura chose to invite that viper of a woman was beyond all Ino's powers of reasoning. The med-nin must have owed Anko for something, or there was some kind of blackmail involved. Regardless of the exact arrangement the two women had going, Sakura was out of the question. She could ask Hinata, but would that make her a bad hostess? The answer weighed heavily on the side of the affirmative, but Ino tried anyway, taking the pale eyed girl to the side in an attempt to keep her request private. But it was to no avail. Ino was informed in a sweet, firm manner that the girl was simply inadequate to the task.

With a sigh, Ino resolved that perhaps there were some chores a person simply had to do themselves.

So when the final bell rang, a full half hour late, Ino waved off Lee and answered it herself.

"Hello, Anko. Finally you grace us with your presence. I am sure that the others will pleased to hear you've arrived."

"I'm sure." Sarcasm ran through the older woman's voice as she removed her leather jacket and handed it forcefully to Ino. "It's so sweet of you to check my jacket yourself. I feel so special."

"I do what I can." Ino was perfectly polite, neither voice nor expressions giving away her true intents or thoughts. "We are also checking all alcohol at the door at the request of our bartender."

"Bartender, huh? I see your little escapades pay you well." Venom dripped from her lips, her words meant to cause a reaction from the blonde. "Though the word around town is that you've stopped playing the game. Apparently, you've broken a lot of hearts down at the Beast. Though why they'd mourn the loss of a little skank like you is beyond me."

"Anko, I'm surprised. I thought you'd thank me. After all, with me gone you won't have to settle for my leftovers anymore." Ino took the bait, no longer able to hold her tongue, though she still maintained her outer appearance of civility. "Now hand over the booze. _Please_."

"What makes you think I have any on me?" The blonde put a hand on her hip and pinned Anko with an incredulous look. "Fine. Maybe I do. But you won't find out unless I find out something in return. So... Why'd you leave?"

"Why do you care?"

"Just call it idle curiosity." Anko picked at her nails with disinterest. "Besides, if I don't get the story, I'm not giving up my stash."

Ino sighed. She was not going to get out of this unscathed, that much was certain. The truth was easily the best way to go in this situation. But one had to be very careful with Anko. She had a way of twisting even the most benign information into something with potential social lethality. There was no use procrastinating though. It would just show Anko that there really was something to discover in her answer. Ino opened her mouth, but was stopped by a heavy hand on her shoulder.

"Hey ladies. I just thought I'd come check in on you two. It's good to see you, Anko."

"You too, Chouji. I'm so glad Sakura invited someone with manners." Anko raised one dark eyebrow in challenge at the blonde. "Anyway, Ino was just answering a question real quick. Right, Ino?"

"Oh, I see. I'll just leave you ladies to it then."

"Don't be like that, Chouji. I'm sure Ino doesn't mind if you stay. Do you, Ino?" Anko continued to put the pressure on, her canines sharpening for the kill. If Ino showed weakness of any kind, the dark-haired women would most certainly pounce on it.

"Of course not." Ino smiled, motioning for Chouji to stay. Then she turned back to her interrogator. "When I was a child I loved to watch ravens. The way they flew through the air was beautiful, full of deadly elegance. I focused on them entirely, completely ignoring all the other things in the air, even going as far as to try to tame them with seeds from my hand. But one day while harvesting flowers for the shop, I came across the most beautiful one and it was by itself. It was the one I had put the most effort into, that I most wanted to tame. I put my hands out to it and came to rest on my fingers. The moment was pure magic and then it was gone. When the bird realized I had no seeds, it pecked my little hands to pieces and left. I went home determined to never look up at the sky again. Eventually I entered the academy and met my team. It took awhile, but I finally realized there was something worth looking up for. I found that the butterflies were really beautiful."

"What a load. Here." Anko eyed her suspiciously but handed over a small sliver flask, pulled from the front of her dress. "Your bartender better be good."

"Oh, he's the best." Chouji tried his best to be believable as he took Ino's hand and stepped aside, allowing Anko the honor of proceeding into the main room in front of them and giving Ino opportunity to hide the offending item. "His knowledge of the subject is quite... extensive."

Ino paused a moment before entering and her slight tug of his hand caused the man to linger with her. "Thanks, Chouji."

"No problem." The look her gave her was clearly one of confusion as he inclined towards Anko's direction. "Do I even want to know?"

"Don't worry your pretty little head about it." She patted his cheek. "She understood. That's all that matters."

**.**

**.**

**. ~ { oOo } ~ .**

With the final piece of the ensemble in place, Ino ushered the group into her dining room.

It was fitted up in lush exotic style, the low-rising traditional table now surrounded with rich red and gold cushions, overstuffed to comfortable perfection that begged to be lounged upon. As everyone fussed about seating arrangements, Chouji went to the kitchen to retrieve the first course, sending Sai out with drinks just ahead of him. He returned shortly with the dish, a wild greens salad with grilled tenderloin, to find that the group had opted to sit with girls on one side, guys on the other.

Ino made sure the spot across from her was reserved for him.

Everyone had compliments for the chef, while Anko frowned at her glass of sweet lime-infused tea as though its very existence was the scourge of humanity. The next two courses came out in much the same manner and a general atmosphere of geniality fell upon most of the group. Praise was spread among the female side of the table, each admiring some bauble or finishing touch of another of her same sex, augmented by masculine opinions when appropriate. Recent battle stories and theories were also discussed at length, with much passion and some persuasion, with possible conspiracies taking the forefront in lieu of real evidence. It was upon this topic that the two most reserved, Hinata and Shino, became suddenly quite talkative, hotly debating back and forth between their respective views.

"This all well and good, but if I have to listen to much more of this without a real drink I'll end up using one of you youngsters as my own personal punching bag." Anko interrupted the two with a resounding thump to the table. "Enough with the foreplay. Just get a room already. And you,  _Blondie_. Get your bartender to make me something with more kick."

"Of course. Sai, could you take care of that for me?" Ino and Sai shared a conspiring look before he went back to the kitchen to concoct something new. "Sakura, I think it's about time for karaoke now."

"Yeah! Okay, let's all going back to the main room and pick our partners!" The pink haired kunoichi got everyone moving in the right direction, including the flustered Hinata, now red from either embarrassment or anger, and the reluctant Anko, with a little help from the ever-helpful Lee. "Ino, can you set up the machine for me?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just get everyone paired up."

"Alright. How about we start with... Lee? Who do you want for your partner?" Enthusiasm embodied all his features as Sakura called his name.

"Thank you, Miss Sakura! I would be most honored if Miss Anko would be my partner for this round of most joyous singing!" Lee's reply had all eyes on the older woman, part in fear, part in curiosity of what she would say.

"That's fine, I guess." Anko turned a critical eye over the boy's body twice, her lips turned up ever so slightly on one side, and she cracked her knuckles. "But I will punish you thoroughly if you call ' _Miss_ ' anything ever again. Anko will do. Or 'Master' if that's too informal for you."

"Um,  _okay_." Sakura's voice cut through the tension to take back control of the group. "Moving on. How about a girl this time? Hinata?"

By the time Sai returned with Anko's drink, the rest of the couples had paired up predictably, Hinata with Shino and Chouji with Ino, leaving Sai with Sakura.

To say that their singing skills were sorely lacking would be a gross understatement. Sakura chose "Shooting Star" and sang with more flourish than either the song or her voice could handle; she ended up screeching by the end of her duet. Sai's monotone attempt at rapping added very little to the mix besides humor.

Being much irritated by the laughter at her expense, Sakura challenged Ino and Chouji to take on "Bacchikoi". Their rendition was barely passable, but the earned style points for incorporating the dance into their performance.

Shino and Hinata tried to take on a Kana Nishino song, with Shino doing an admirable job with the lead vocals. Unfortunately, stage fright took Hinata's soprano voice to painful falsetto heights.

As the last of the performances, Lee did an energetic, though somewhat tone-deaf interpretation of "Hero's Come Back", with Anko accentuating his effort with a coughing attack brought on by a sip of her newly acquired drink. By the time the torture was over, everyone was more than ready for a change of pace.

**.**

**.**

**. ~ { oOo } ~ .**

"Everyone, please take a slip of paper and write your name on it." Ino instructed as she passed out the needed items. "When you are done, fold the paper in half and place it into this bowl."

"What are we doing, Miss Ino?" Lee raised his hand from where he was seated, still beside Anko. The kunoichi was swift to strike his arm down.

"We're playing 'truth or truth'."

"Hey, Blondie! Isn't it supposed to be 'truth or dare'? What kind of crap are you trying to pull?"

"Well, Anko, I thought it was in the best interest of my house to leave the 'dare' out of it. If everyone is finished, we can start pulling names from the bowl. Who you have is supposed to be a secret until it's your turn, so no telling." Ino moved around the room with the bowl. "Each person gets to ask a question to the person whose name they have. You may pass on the first question if you don't want to answer it. But if you do that, you have to answer the second one no matter what. And no lying. Both Hinata and Shino can easily tell if you are anyway. Don't make me have a bug put on all of you."

"Who should go first?" Hinata asked, ready to turn her eyes on the intended target.

"Sakura, how about you?" Ino flashed the girl her sweetest smile. "This is your party after all."

"Okay! Shino, are you ready?" Sakura placed her slip of paper on the coffee table so everyone could see the name she drew. "Do your bugs live...? I mean, are they in your genitalia too?"

Despite chuckles all around, no emotion was shown on Shino's face. "Pass."

"Fine. What color are your eyes? Can we see them?" Shino removed his dark glasses, revealing a pair of pale blue eyes, the color like the first blue after dawn, and they had cloudiness to them vaguely similar to cataracts. Sakura openly stared at the answer to her question, along with everyone else, excluding Hinata as she had already been privy to this secret. "Um, yeah. It's your turn now."

Shino also placed his paper on the table, getting down to business immediately. "Sai. Are you truly an Uchiha in origin?"

"No." The ink user smiled and gently wagged his finger. "You really shouldn't listen to rumors." Sai then turned his attention to the one next to him with a mischievous gleam in his eye. "Sakura, are you really that interested in Shino's genitalia?"

"What? I- I haven't got to the Aburame clan yet in my medical studies. I was just-" Sakura sputtered, turning red now that peanut gallery was laughing at her. "Pass!"

"Then my next question shall be..." Sai paused and put his arm over Sakura's shoulders, his purpose of making his interest squirm being very successful. "Are you interested in anyone's genitalia? In a romantic or lustful manner, of course. And remember, Hinata will tell me if you're lying."

"You are a hateful, hateful man. And yes." Sakura bit out her answer and looked around in question, ready to deflect the attention she was garnering. "So who goes next? I've already gone."

"I'll go." Chouji volunteered, eager to get his turn out of the way. He much preferred to be the one to answer questions. He did not like to make others uncomfortable, so his questions were sure to yield uninteresting results. "I have Hinata. Um, are you allowed to marry outside of your clan?"

"Ah, yes! My father abolished the law of forbidden marriages four years ago, so I am free to marry whoever I choose." The kunoichi held her head high as she answered, not in haughtiness, but in happiness and pride. She placed her slip on the table. "Lee, I have always wondered something. Why do you always wear spandex? Please forgive me if I am being rude."

"Not at all! Well, Miss Hinata, I spend most of my time training and I have found that Gai-sensei is correct on this matter. Spandex is most comfortable for physical activity. The way it stretches and moves with you, like it is a second skin. Nothing can beat it!" Lee then unfolded his paper and examined it, reading it aloud as he did so. "Anko? I see." The man turned to fully look the kunoichi in the face. He was very earnest in his gaze. "My question shall be: What is your ideal man?"

"My ideal man? Well, he would need to be lean, but strong, and be able to take a whole lot of abuse." Anko tapped a finger on her cheek as she pondered the question. A devilish smile crossed her lips. "And he would have to be able to go and go and go, if you know what I mean."

"So you need a man with stamina?" Lee turned his questioning eyes full on her.

"That's exactly what I'm saying. You know, kid, I think I'm beginning to like you." The women roughly pinched his smooth cheek before setting down her paper. "So, Ino? Are you ready?"

_Give me your best shot_.

"Of course."

"Then the question is," Anko looked to Chouji as he sat beside her mark, and then leaned forward for emphasis, "How many guys have you had sex with?"

"Pass." Ino knew Hinata was watching and she wasn't about to give up her secret that easily. Her mask may cover up all outer signs of lying, and that very proficiently, but Ino was far from confident that her inner workings would maintain their control.

"Then, do you actually think there's someone out there who would be willing to marry a kunoichi of your... reputation?" The teeth sunk into the jugular. Anko had gone straight for the kill.

"No." Ino's eyes turned to Anko, full of emotion she refused to show on her face, and she pulled her hand out Chouji's hold. "But it doesn't matter. I have no intentions of ever getting married."

"I see. You're afraid the butterfly will turn on you just like the raven."

The dark-haired woman's cryptic reply had the rest staring in confusion, wondering about the sudden change in atmosphere. But the woman refused to back down, waiting for some sort of reply from Ino, one that the blonde was unwilling to verbally give.

"Um, so Chouji? You made some dessert, right? How about you go get that now?" Sakura's clumsy attempt at redirection, to save her best friend from the painful awkwardness of the encounter, brought about a premature end to the game.

"Yeah," Chouji replied, as unsure as the rest of the guests as to what was really going on, "of course."

**.**

**.**

**. ~ { oOo } ~ .**

After dessert, the couples started two by two to filter out of Ino's home and into the warm summer night, some lingering more than others. Anko left first, grumbling about needing a stiff drink and better company, dragging along Lee by his belt buckle, much to everyone's surprise. Hinata left soon after, the girl needing to prepare for an early morning mission. Shino chose to see her home, citing dangerous Konoha streets as the reason for such chivalry, though everyone certainly knew his real motives. Sakura decided to stay a bit and help out with the after party cleaning, forcing Sai to stay along with her. They got very little cleaning done before disappearing. Where they went to or if they even left the apartment, neither Chouji nor Ino knew, nor did they care.

With it being just the two of them left, Ino plopped down on the sofa and patted the seat next to her. Chouji complied with the unspoken request and managed to only be a bit surprised when Ino leaned against him, her head coming rest almost on his shoulder, their height difference the only thing getting in the way. He took her hand, threading her fingers with his. It had been a trying, emotional evening for her that much Chouji was sure of, even if he wasn't privy to all the reasons for her discontent. If he could be of some comfort, any comfort to her, he was determined to be. So Chouji sat in silence, despite the questions he wanted to ask, in defiance to the resolution his mind had chosen hours earlier to find out how the woman whose hand he held felt in regards to him. He felt a tug on his hand that brought him to attention. Ino leaned forward, placing a slip on paper on the table, just as all the others had done previously.

_On it was his name._

"So, Chouji Akimichi, will you answer my question?" Ino was strangely subdued as she spoke. It unnerved the large man, his response becoming a mere nod of the head. "Then my question is: Have you ever met anyone in my line of work for which love was successful?"

"Yes." His answer was swift and sure, and while the whole of her demeanor spoke of her doubt, her eyes held his in hopes that he spoke truth. "Remember that solo mission I had in the Land of Rivers last year? I was hired by a band of immigrants to escort them to a ship taking them back home?"

Ino didn't speak, but her head tilted with attentive curiosity.

"Anyway, among them was an old woman named Gomer. She had been a prostitute in her homeland. Apparently, she was much sought after and men lavished her with gifts. She thought she had all she would ever need. But one day, she met a man named Hosea. He was the village's holy man and suddenly he was interested in her, just not in the way that the other men were. He bought her from the brothel she worked at and took her home and married her. He told her that God had sent him to her to be an example of true love to a people who had forgotten themselves."

"So, what? He married her without even knowing her? It could have been anyone that he picked! That's not love, Chouji." Ino's voice was tinged with agitation as she interrupted.

"I wasn't finished yet." Chouji paused, a smile lighting up his face at her outburst. "So, Gomer felt she had it good for a while. She and Hosea shared a simple, but free life. Gomer became pregnant and within the year had given birth to a child. That was when she realized that she loved Hosea and it tore her up inside. She loved him wholeheartedly, but Hosea was with her only because he believed it to be what his God had asked him to do. It tormented her to the point that Gomer couldn't take it anymore. When the child was big enough for her to leave, she did. She went back to her old life, telling those that asked that she had missed the passion and splendor, that life with her husband had been a bore. But Hosea threw a wrench in her plans. He came after her and in a very public display told her to come home, that he loved _her_ , exclusively, and he wished for her love to be the same for him forever."

"Did she go with him?"

"Yeah, she did. And Hosea seemed pretty proud of that fact when Gomer was telling me that part of their story. They were really happy, you know?"

"But how could he do it? I mean, he was a holy man and he was begging her, a whore, to come back to him? It had to have been the talk around town for years, not to mention it had to have destroyed his reputation. How could he go to her knowing all that?"

Chouji could see it in her eyes. She wanted to believe it was possible, but Ino lived very much in the real world. She knew firsthand the cruelty and hypocrisy that filled her world and she did not want to be responsible for bringing someone else into it. But like Gomer, it wasn't her choice. Chouji brought his hands up to cradle her face, wanting, if nothing else, for his next words to come across clearly.

"He loved her dearly. He was willing to lose life or limb just for the chance to be with her. If he was willing to lose that much, of what consequence was his reputation? Do you honestly think he cared about that at all?" Chouji paused briefly, making sure she was still with him before stating the crux of the matter. "But none of that would have even been necessary if she had just done one thing before she left. Do you know what she should have done, Ino?'

"No." Her answer was but a breath, barely audible, like she was afraid for him to go on.

"She should have asked him how he felt, instead of doubting his intentions." His dark, now serious eyes moved closer to hers, becoming all that filled her vision. Becoming her comfort had been his intent but moments ago, but Chouji found that his very presence was the cause of her distress. He felt her pulse race under his fingers as he made his statement. Her eyes were wide, like an animal trapped with no escape forthcoming.

_He pushed too far._

_She was going to run._

A frustrated sigh left his lips as he released her and closed his eyes, sinking back into plush throw pillows. The silence that stretched between them, side by side on the sofa, was stifling. But if Ino thought she could get rid of him that easily, she was sorely mistaken. He would stay in that very spot until she dismissed him. Just because he chose to go with the flow in most circumstances didn't mean he couldn't be stubborn when he wanted to.

Thankfully, he didn't have to be stubborn long though.

Shifting next to him signaled that the silence was about to be broken.

"Does that mean you want me to ask how you feel about me?" The smirk she wore did little to offset her shaking hands, but Chouji was glad for it. It meant she had made up her mind and had determined to see this through. It meant that he hadn't pushed too much, but rather just enough.

"Heavens, yes. But first..." The man paused for moment, steadying his rattled nerves. "First, can I ask you how you feel about me?"

"Sure." Her soft laughter was melodic, a lilting bit of mischief that broke the tension. "I think you've impressed enough to be boyfriend material."

" _Ino_."

"I know, I know." A couple graceful movements found her settled upon his lap, arms looped about his neck and blue eyes melting into his brown ones. "I love you, Chouji Akimichi. I think I have for a long time. It just took me awhile to realize it."

"Wow. Uh, I-" Chouji was stopped by suspicious thumping, paired with high-pitched giggling, coming from somewhere in the near vicinity. "Ino, do you hear that?"

"Yeah and I know where it's coming from. Follow me."

Chouji trailed behind Ino obediently as they walked up to the coat closet door, where they listened for a few seconds before hearing the noises again. Then, without warning, Ino thrust the door open, causing a pair of shinobi, in a tangled mess of pink and black, to come tumbling out.

"Okay. So I'm glad you two finally hooked up, but my closet is not a hotel room. Take it somewhere else."

Then the blonde kunoichi forcibly removed her best friend, along with her partner in crime, before they even had time to form a rebuttal.

_"_ Um, so that was awkward." Chouji wrapped Ino up in his arms. "So, where were we?  Oh yeah, I love you too."

"Good." The blonde, still on a violent high, grabbed him with both hands by the shirt, pulled him into the newly vacated closet, and slammed the door shut. "Just so you know, I expect to be thoroughly kissed before you leave."

"Yes, my lady."

And with that simple reply, his mouth claimed hers with fervor.


	7. Edge of the World

Wrapped up in a warm cocoon of fleece, Ino desperately tried to keep her focus on the romance flashing across the expanse of her television set. That was what normal women did on a lonely weeknight, right? She had all the prerequisites: ultra buttery popcorn, pocky, and a half-gallon of matcha-flavored ice cream, complete with a spoon to eat it straight out of the container. But regardless of what Sakura had told her, none of these seemed to be helping.

Chouji was away on a mission, again. In fact, it seemed like he was always being deployed. He easily got twice as many missions as her. In the three weeks that they'd been dating Chouji had gotten four, all of which were A ranked, while she had gotten one measly C ranked reconnaissance mission, leading a group of kunoichi posing as brothel girls. Ino used to laugh at those  _domesticated_  girls, the ones that waited faithfully at home, afraid to leave lest some word for better or worse came, on pins and needles until their guy returned from a mission. And now, without even trying, Chouji had gotten her to join their ranks.

_Of course, she wasn't really on pins and needles._

That's what the blonde told herself as she looked at the clock for the tenth time in as many minutes. He was late. That was the only reason she was the state she was in. If only Chouji had come back at dawn yesterday like he was supposed to! She was perfectly calm then. It wasn't like she had set her alarm at 3:00 am so she could shower before he got there. She hadn't taken extra time on her hair and makeup. She hadn't worn his favorite dress. And she most definitely had not cried when it was apparent, at 10:00 pm, that he wasn't going to be coming in time to see all her efforts. And if there were tears starting to form in her eyes tonight, it was only because Jun Matsumoto could be so freaking romantic and Koyuki was utterly adorable.

It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that it was almost midnight and he wasn't there.

Ino flicked the television off with disgust. The tears were coming faster now, hot streams of saline falling down her cheeks. If love was so sweet and wonderful, why had she cried more in the past month than in all the rest of her lifetime combined? She had to pull herself together. The blonde marched herself to the bathroom to splash some cool water, along with some sense, on her face.

Again.

And again.

And  _again_ , until her nose started to tingle as the cold water wicked away its natural warmth.

Twisting the knob to its off position, she looked up and forced some determination into her eyes. She could do this. She would go clean up the mess in the front room before the ice cream, what little was left of it, melted onto her pale, pristine carpet and she would go to sleep. No more waiting around like a puppy whose master had abandoned it.

_Ino was her own woman, had been for years, and by heavens she was going to act like it._

The mess took very little time to take care of, much to Ino's chagrin, so she decided that it would be wise to do a more thorough version of her nightly beauty regime.

\- Eyebrows waxed?  _Check._

\- Legs and bikini waxed?  _Check_.

\- Full body moisturization?  _Check_.

\- Nighttime extra-emollient eye cream applied?  _Check_.

\- Anti-wrinkle face exercises? Check. Mini mani-pedi?  _Check_.

\- One thousand brush strokes through her golden locks?  _Check_.

Even with all the stalling, she was finished far sooner than she would have liked. Looking at the clock on her nightstand, which read 12:47 am, Ino's heart fell again. He wasn't going to make tonight. She'd have to do this all over again tomorrow. With a dramatic flounce, Ino welcomed her bed.

_Well, at least she would be well-groomed._

**.**

**.**

**. ~ { oOo } ~ .**

In spite of her worry, sleep came to Ino quickly, the soft lilac scent of the linens dulling her senses enough to let her stress-ridden mind finally come to rest. It was as if the fibers themselves had been woven by clever hands, infusing them with some unknown calming jutsu, causing her to become as dead to the world. Had her exhaustion been not so complete, her very ninja training failing her, she would have heard the dull thud of approaching footsteps and recognized a faint chakra signature headed her way. The soft rapping of the door went unanswered once, then twice. A soft sigh and a click, and the figure was now in her midst, moving stealthily towards her most private sanctuary.

"Ino?" Warmth traced the edges of her hairline in a gentle caress. "Come on, wake up."

"Huh?" Eyelids fluttered open slowly, revealing a large shadow that seemed to be kneeling beside her bed.

"Ino, wake up." The voice, the warmth was still gentle, but a bit of urgency was laced through their tones. "Ino, I need your help."

"Chouji?" The seas broke wide open in realization, propelling the kunoichi into the arms of her beloved with great force. "I thought I was dreaming again!"

"Ouch... Again?" A slight wince marred the moment for the freshly arrived shinobi. "So you've been dreaming about me, huh?"

"Chouji Akimichi, what in the world are you thinking?! You're hurt! You should be at the hospital!"

"It's only a couple cracked ribs... I think." He added the last bit under his breath while the prickly blonde hopped out of bed to light up the room. "Really, it's not serious. I would've gone to the hospital, but I knew that you could fix it." His brown eyes turned to face her, glossy with emotion. "I... I just wanted to see you."

"You're nothing but trouble, you know that?" The blonde kept up her admonishment, but her heart wasn't truly in it. In all honesty, she was excessively pleased that she was the one he sought out, that he needed to see her as much as she needed to see him.

"Come here. We need to get this armor off you if I'm going to be able to do anything."

Deft, feminine fingers ran up and down his torso, unclipping straps and fasteners as they went.

Piece by piece, he was shed of his outer layers _._ The air conditioning unit was going in overdrive, the summer night making rest for the piece of machinery near impossible, and yet every article that was removed left him feeling warmer than before. Maybe he was running a fever?

_That kind of thing happened when one got hurt, right?_

It wasn't because Ino was slowly stripping him. No, it couldn't be. Because Ino was just doing her medical duty, preparing him so she would be able to properly assess the damage done to his physical body. That was all. Just the same as she always did. This was all just part of the routine that they'd had going on for years.

It was all completely normal.

It didn't matter that this was the first time  _she_ had to help him undress. And it wasn't like her fingers trailed seductively down his chest as she unbuttoned his undershirt or that she had that glint in her eye as she coyly looked up to see if he was watching. No, it had to be his imagination. running on overdrive because he'd been gone too long. Chouji could feel that his self-control was slipping.

_He couldn't hold it anymore._

His hands wove themselves into her hair, bringing her even closer, and he went in for the kill.

Her lips responded favorably, eagerly, as she pressed herself flush against him. He groaned, the mixture of pleasure and pain the cause of it. Ino's actions flipped a switch inside him and suddenly aggressive instinct took over, hot adrenaline pushing him to boldness as he deepened the kiss. His hands left her hair to trail down her heavenly back and came to rest on the swell of her hips, pulling her closer and closer.

The kisses became more and more frantic.

The hormones running through his system helped to numb the pain enough to entertain thoughts of taking this session further. There was never enough of her, his blonde angel, not enough to satisfy. During those lonely nights out fighting the enemy, separated from her, he felt like he was going out of his mind. Need tugged at him causing him to tug at her. When Ino couldn't get any closer, his large hands cupped her backside, lifting her up with ease, returning her to the bed.

"Down boy." A sharp flick to the head accentuated Ino's breathy request. "Are you crazy? You're going to aggravate your injuries."

"Sorry." The large man looked down sheepishly, trying his embarrassment. His hand came up to hold his side. Now, back to his senses, Chouji could acutely feel his injuries throbbing.

"Yeah, yeah. Lie down and let me get to work already." The lady pointed to the bed and he secretly wished that it was some other kind of work she was referring to. "And when I get done, we are going to  _sleep_ , understand?"

"Yes, ma'am." A heavy sigh crossed his lips as reclined obediently. A grimace rolled across his face as his ribcage tried to adjust to his new position, his breath coming out in choppy puffs.

"Good, because if you get handsy on me again, I'll send your butt back to your own apartment. I don't care how much you missed me. Your body needs rest." As the glow of her healing chakra bathed Ino's hands in pale green light, she turned her head to hide the blush on her cheeks from the man who was the cause of it. Chouji remained silent as she worked, closing his eyes as weariness took over. He had been right, of course. The damage was minor, just a little bruising and three cracked ribs. "Okay, Chouji, how's that feel?"

"Um, good." His reply was laced with sleepiness. "Let's get some shut-eye."

"Yeah."

Ino climbed back into bed, her head once again too full to sleep. She could feel the traces of him on her lips, in her hair, on her skin. Her blood still rushed about in her body, too quick and forceful to be normal, causing her to feel flushed and excited.

Kissing was one thing. Kissing was familiar. She kissed people all the time. She had even developed a jutsu centered on the very act! But now, tonight, it became very clear that her lovely, innocent Chouji was awakening to other things, wanted other things.

This new development was one that Ino was in no way prepared for.

**.**

**.**

**. ~ { oOo } ~ .**

The dead of night watched over the hidden leaf, the barely-there moon hanging high above like the ever vigilant eye of a shinobi under the pretense of sleep. All was peaceful, nothing more than the gentle hum of forest insects could be heard. All shops, even those catering to the late night crowd, had been closed for hours now, leaving not a person on the streets. All were tucked snug in their beds, blissfully unaware of the torment of one woman.

"I don't know?! That's all you have to say?" Livid, amber eyes flared in exasperation, as a neatly manicured fist punched straight through a stack of conveniently placed bricks.

"You're the head of the Department of Strategy! It's been three weeks since you received Yamanaka's report, the best lead we've had in months, and all you have to say is  _'I don't know_ '?"

"Yes, Lady Tsunade."

The honored leader walked slowly, purposely up to the jounin, a graying male in his forties, and stopped just inches from his face. Her hands curled into tight balls at her sides and the man braced himself for the beating of a lifetime. "You have until morning to bring me your intent to retire or I will demote you back to genin." The lady's voice was gravely quiet. "You are excused."

The man turned on his heel, head bowed with distress, and promptly exited the room.

"I'm so proud of you." The comment from her assistant came with a bite of sarcasm. "You didn't ruin the tower and you managed not to kill Itsugi. The bricks were a good idea after all, weren't they?"

"Can it, Shizune." The reprimand was far from intimidating and almost hysterical giggling, on the part of both women, soon followed. "Did you see the look on his face?"

"Yeah." The dark-haired kunoichi was the first to collect herself. "But what are you going to do now?"

"I'm not sure yet." A blanket of seriousness returned to the room. She'd had her fun and now it was time to get back to business. Too many people counted on her. The weight of it all, the newly acquired routine of skipping sleep adding greatly to it, had Tsunade feeling twice her age. "Is the suppression team back from their mission?"

"They just got in three hours ago. Why?"

"Give him till dawn, and then summon Shikamaru. Maybe he can find something that old geezer couldn't." The hokage sat down at her desk and started rummaging.

"It's in the bottom right drawer." Shizune gave her master a weak smile and walked through the door, giving the blonde some much-needed alone time.

**.**

**.**

**. ~ { oOo } ~ .**

The lady had two hours of peace, just enough for a couple of shots and a power nap, before the shadow-user arrived on her doorstep. After rubbing the sleep from her eyes and re-stashing her flask, she gave her permission for entrance. "Come in."

"You sent for me, Lady Tsunade." His eyes drooped with fatigue while he half-stifled a yawn. Most likely his sleeping patterns were little better than her own. Being sent on near continuous missions certainly couldn't be helping.

"Yes. I have a new mission for you starting immediately." The hokage paused to see how he would take the news. His discontent was clearly written across his brow, but he seemed too tired to voice it. "There is a box of files on that chair. It is all the information we have regarding this war. I need you to go through it and tell me what you see. I need some viable options for an offensive plan."

"What about Itsugi? Isn't that his job? He's got a whole department at his disposal." Sharp eyes looked at her in question.

"Well, he just handed in his resignation this morning. It's not surprising. He is of retirement age." Tsunade tried to go the diplomatic route. "I need someone I have confidence in for this. It's too important."

"So, you believe the whole Department of Strategy to be incompetent? Figures." Shikamaru grabbed the files with reluctance. "Do you have a room I can use? I don't figure you want me to spend the next few hours sitting on your floor."

**.**

**.**

**. ~ { oOo } ~ .**

Ino awoke that morning to the rhythmic hush of Chouji's breathing, the slight push and pull of his chest as his lungs kept up their ever important work, and the deep thump of his steady heart. Cradled in his arms as she was, she couldn't see his face, but the blonde was positive he was already awake. His fingers were playing with the scar on her hip, tracing the tiny lines over and over. She shifted just a bit, trying to loosen the bear hug she was trapped in enough so that her eyes could take in his face. It was to no avail. The blonde found herself pulled even closer while he nestled his head into the side of her neck. Her pulse instantly raced and she knew he could feel it.

_The smirk she felt on his lips told her so._

"Chouji!"

Soft nibbles made her catch her breath. His mouth moved slowly up to her jaw line, kissing as it went. "Yes, Ino?"

"Shouldn't we get up and get breakfast?" Her question came out choppy, her lack of composure clearly coming to surface.

"I'd rather have you."

The man had moved up to her ear, taking the sensitive lobe completely in. His teeth caught the stud, the earring given by her sensei, and rolled it around with his nimble tongue. The sensation sent beautiful shivers down the length of her spine. A small sound escaped her throat, completely unbidden. It took them both by surprise, stopping Chouji's attack momentarily as looked at her in wonder. He recovered quickly though, and was soon paying most devoted attention to her lips, her mouth, her tongue. There was such urgency in his kiss, such passion and excitement, that it was overwhelming to the kunoichi. She was no longer in control.

_Ino was always in control._

She was the one that instigated affairs and decided how far they would go. She was the one that pulled the strings of her partner's emotions, leading them whither she saw fit to take them. But not this time. No, somehow she had become the puppet here. She had become but putty in his hands. And that fact scared her like no other. Her mind screamed against what was happening.

_She wasn't ready._

Ino Yamanaka, The Mistress, Konoha's best seductress, was afraid. And here she was, with a man she loved dearly, obviously most willing and ready to take her, her physical body begging for it, and all she wanted to do was cry. But that was not an option. He wouldn't understand. Chouji would think he'd done something wrong. Ino's conscience pricked at the very thought of it. She had to do something.

_She had to take control._

"Hey, over here." There was a poof of smoke and suddenly Chouji lips came in contact with the rough bark of a small branch. Ino waved shyly from the bedroom doorway.

"A substitution jutsu?  _Ino_ -" His face was covered in disbelief and frustration. "What in the world?"

"Sorry." The blonde blushed fiercely. "I just remembered that I have to meet Kakashi in half an hour."

"Fine." Chouji got up to put on fresh clothes from his pack. To say he looked unhappy would be an understatement. "I promised I would go see Shika today anyway. He wanted to make sure you healed me properly."

"Okay. See you for dinner?" Ino asked shyly, but avoided looking him in the eye. She may be a good liar, but he had a knack of seeing through her. Chouji didn't answer, simply kissed her cheek, rough and chaste, and then was out the door.

Water started to well up, but Ino slapped herself, one hand for each cheek, before the tears could come to fruition. She had no time for moping.

_Besides, she knew she had brought this on herself._

**.**

**.**

**. ~ { oOo } ~ .**

Chouji stormed out of Ino's apartment, his mood getting blacker with every step forward.

Frustration, in multiple forms, dogged his steps as he made his way home. That woman, that hateful, beautiful woman, was playing with him. She had to be! What other explanation was there? She was probably laughing at him right now, already meeting up with Sakura, explaining in vivid color the extent of his follies. By the time this day was over, he was sure to be the laughingstock of the village. It was exactly as the rumors had said.

She got her jollies from making men squirm and he was but the latest victim.

It was either that or...

The other option he didn't even want to entertain. It was so much easier to be angry than to be hurt and the other option hurt terribly.

_What if?_

What if Ino wasn't attracted to him? What if he repulsed her? Ino said she was in love with him. She seemed perfectly fine with kissing and cuddling, but every time he tried to take it the least bit farther he was shutdown. Chouji knew that physically he didn't match up to her 'type', not if her past beaus were any indication. But what if it was more than that? What if he disgusted her and she was holding it in for his sake? The thought took the wind from his sails, and depression swooped in as the wrath receded. His feet were heavy, as was his heart, when he finally made it to the Nara's front door and rang the buzzer.

"Hey, Chouji!" Temari opened the screen door wide, motioning for him to come inside. "Shika's not here. The hokage called him out early. But you're welcome to eat breakfast with me and wait."

"Yeah, thanks." Chouji sat down at the table and hung his head. "That would be nice."

The young wife grimaced as she served up a plate of eggs, bacon and biscuits to the large shinobi. "You okay? You look like death warmed over."

"No, not really." He pushed his food around with his fork. After a moment's hesitation, Chouji decided to speak his mind. "Do you think you could help me understand what goes on inside a girl's head?"

"Sure!" A knowing grin spread from ear to ear and Temari ruffled his hair as she sat down beside him. "Whatever's going on, I'm sure you're making it out to be more than it is."

"I hope so." Chouji paused. "Can I ask you something personal?"

"Shoot."

"How long were you guys going out before you and Shika... um, you know?" His voice got smaller and smaller as he spoke while his face got redder and redder.

"You know, I don't mind answering that. But it's not going to solve your problem." Temari placed a hand over his in friendly encouragement. "I think you need to tell me your story, from the beginning."

**.**

**.**

**. ~ { oOo } ~ .**

"Lady Tsunade?" A cheerful face, framed by a fringe of dark hair, attempted to get the blonde's attention, a single hand waving back and forth in front the leader's face. When the hokage's eyes finally left their glazed over state and locked on her own, Shizune continued. "Shikamaru wants to know if now is a good time to hear his preliminary report?"

"Huh, what?" The lady was shocked into complete alertness. "He's gone through those files already? It hasn't even been half a day." Shizune nodded in the affirmative, pleased that for once she had some good news to relay. Her master in turn gave her an impatient look, accompanied by a well-sharpened pencil aimed straight for her head. "Well, what are you waiting for? Send him in already!"

"Shikamaru, please come in." The assistant easily caught the projectile without so much as a slip of her smile; just the dark shine in her black eyes spoke of her displeasure. It would do nothing to help matters if she riled up her master more.

"So, Shizune tells me you already finished looking through what we have?" The leader turned a critical eye over the shadow-user. "Did you find anything?"

"Yeah. Well, maybe." The Nara spoke with exhaustion, the fatigue clearly showing on his person. "Do you have a map in here?" Shizune nodded to her leader and grabbed a large scroll from a bookcase on the far side of the room. The lady rearranged her desk, displacing mounds of paperwork, snack wrappers and broken pencils, to accommodate the new addition. Shikamaru continued. "Okay, the first thing I did was went through and wrote down the coordinates of all the known attacks. No one kept track of the initial attacks in the lands of Earth, Birds, Rain and Grass, so we're in the dark on that point. But we do have good records since the beginning of the joint task force. Let's start with the attacks in the Wind. There were eight altogether. Can I write on this?"

"Sure." Tsunade assented, quite curious as to where this was going.

"Okay, so these are the villages that were targeted." He carefully drew eight dots on the map, each signifying a destroyed village. "Do you see anything?"

"I see a bunch of dots, the same as I saw when I looked at the map hanging in the DOS." The hokage's hands came up to rub her temples. "Should I be seeing something else?"

The shinobi connected a few of the dots. "What about now?"

"Shikamaru, I do not have time for jokes!" Her fist pounded down upon the paper, the reverberation running through the whole of the desk.

"Just stick with me. Please." The sincerity in his passive face forced her to remain calm. "What do you see?"

"I see a smiley face with its tongue out." Disgust lined her words. "So?"

"So, we're obviously up against someone a bit unbalanced, someone who likes to play jokes. It gives us some clues as to who might be involved. Anyway, think of it as a taunt. It's their way of letting us know that we wasted our time looking for them in the Wind. But let's put that aside for now." The shinobi placed a few more dots. "Okay, we took the Land of Waterfalls and the neighboring wilderness under our protection shortly after the Earth shut down, right? We get regular correspondence from them because of that. They have had five of their villages attacked. If we include the attacks that have taken place here in the Fire, we have nine more for a total of fourteen villages destroyed. Do you see anything?"

"No." A heavy sigh tried to dispel the leader's frustration.

The shinobi again connected the dots. "What about now?"

"That's our symbol, the hidden leaf's symbol." Both women's eyes went wide. "What do you think it means?"

"Well, I can't be sure, but I think they're giving us clues as to what their next move is." Shikamaru pointed to the map again, emphasizing something they had missed. "Do you see here? The symbol isn't complete yet. The point is missing. But if you draw it in like this..."

"It points straight to Border town. Well, I'll be." Tsunade leaned back in her chair, contemplation taking over. "Is there anything else you want to share?"

"Actually, yeah." He waited for her to nod, giving him permission to go on. "I looked through all the testimonies and eye-witness reports and I think I found a pattern. It might be nothing, but something about it keeps nagging at me. No one in the villages attacked remembers anything at all. It's completely silent. But... But there are a handful accounts mixed in from nearby villages."

"And you find that strange?"

"Yes."

"How so?"

Shikamaru sat down in a chair, the lack of sleep making his legs give out on him a bit. "The people we interrogated from the nearby villages were only spoken to because they happened to show up while we were doing our initial investigations, so it was easy for their accounts to fall through the cracks. There were just a few in that stack, maybe one to every hundred from actual attack survivors. But the strange thing is that they all said the same thing."

"And what was that exactly?" The lady did not like being kept in suspense, the evidence of which was spoken through grit teeth.

"They had all been asked if they had seen anyone suspicious. Of course, they hadn't. But each one remembers meeting a pair of traveling men. The first sounds like someone we know, a nice young man claiming to be a distant relative of a local merchant from the intended village. They all described him as having light hair and glasses."

"You think it was Kabuto? I thought he was dead. He hasn't been seen since when Orochimaru's lair was destroyed." Tsunade rested her head upon one hand, tilting it in thought as a single finger tapped her cheek. "I suppose it's possible. His body was never recovered. Okay, so who was the other?"

"That I'm not sure of. The story is that he's making his rounds to the villages to sell his wares. He's been described as middle-aged lecher. Tall, dark hair with just a bit of gray at the temples, good-looking, with a penchant for not keeping his hands to himself." Shikamaru read the description from one of the witnesses, and then handed the paper to the Hokage.

"Are they traveling together? Or do they just happen to be in the same village at the same time?" She studied the paper, looking for some clue that perhaps Shikamaru had overlooked.

"None of the reports say. My hunch is that he is the one spreading the tainted goods, but there's no evidence to support it." He rubbed at a kink in his neck. "Do you have any idea who this man is?"

"No." Determination burned like fire. "But we will find out."

**.**

**.**

**. ~ { oOo } ~ .**

"I don't know, Temari." Chouji had long since finished his breakfast and was now pacing the Nara's living room, venting as he went. "It's like she takes me to the edge of the world and right back again. I can't keep up with her. One minute she's initiating and the next she's shutting me down. It's just so- I don't know!"

"The edge of the world, huh?"

"Yeah, you know, the edge of the world?" Temari shook her head in the negative. "The edge of the world is a mythical place, the realm of the all-powerful goddess of chaos. The goddess who whispers sweet nothings in your ear, promising you everything you want, but then it turns out to all be a facade. Never studied mythology, huh?" Again Temari shook her head. "It doesn't matter. It's not like it exists anyway."

"And that's what's bugging you, isn't it?" Temari spoke and Chouji finally stopped his pacing. "You're afraid you'll never get there, figuratively speaking."

"Umm-"

"You, Chouji Akimichi, are afraid that when comes right down to it, Ino's going to reject you and run off with some pretty boy from the bar down the street. Am I right?"

The man seemed suddenly interested in his shoes, his head bent down as far as it would go without moving the rest of his body. "I suppose."

"Then do you suppose that maybe, just maybe, Ino could be having similar thoughts?"

"But I would never do that to her! She's the only one for me and always has been. She should know..." Chouji trailed off when he noticed the amused way in which his blonde friend was looking at him. "What?"

"I seemed to have pushed one of your buttons. Sorry about that." The apology came, but it did nothing to wipe the smirk off her face. "You and I and all of Konoha know that, but does Ino know that? Most women I know in her line of work have a hard time believing that a good guy will still want them when the real truths of their exploits come out. She's probably just trying to protect herself."

"By turning me on, then taking off?" He sat down on the sofa, his body vibrating with frustration.

"Seriously, men." Temari tapped him in the side of the head. "Use your brain a little. Having sex is her job. Start making out with her and of course her body is going to respond, whether she wants it to or not. She's been conditioned that way. But when a girl is in love, she wants sex to be a beautiful, romantic thing. The first time with your soul mate is a big deal, even if you're not a virgin. Of course she's not going to just let you randomly jump her. I guarantee, for her, it's not just another roll in the hay. She wants it to be special."

"Temari, what if I can't deal with that? What if the jealousy turns me into someone I don't want to be?" He pleaded with his friend, begging her for some kind of knowledge, some sign, that would make his uneasiness go away. He wanted her to tell him it would be okay.

"Well, if your doubts are heavier than the weight of your love, you may want to get out now."

"No, they're not." It took awhile for the answer to come out, but when it did Chouji knew it was the right one. If he was anything, it was faithful, and he planned to grow old with that woman. "So what do I do?"

"Well, you can start by making sure Ino knows you're not going to leave her because of her job like some jealous jerk." Her head cocked in admonition, before leaning forward in excitement. "Then, you need to plan a romantic night for just the two of you."

**.**

**.**

**. ~ { oOo } ~ .**

The atmosphere in the Hokage's tower office finally resembled something like hope when Tsunade sent Shizune out to grab some lunch for herself and her newly appointed advisor. Shikamaru was dead on his feet, that much was clear, and looked like he hadn't had a real meal in months. Now that she knew he had at least some answers, ones that the village so desperately needed, Tsunade felt some of the burden slipping from her shoulders. Surely they could afford to take enough time for a quick bite to eat.

Shizune was swift, as per usual, arriving with a great smorgasbord of take out within a mere twenty minutes. The amount and variety of food she had gathered was astounding, leaving both kage and shinobi to wonder how the petite woman had managed to carry it all. Apparently, Shizune had noticed Shikamaru's slimming figure also.

"Eat up, the both of you. I've never seen such a skinny jounin, or a slovenly hokage." The last bit came under her breath and Tsunade had the good grace to ignore it in favor of digging into a bowl of piping hot udon.

"So, I think it's pretty safe to say that Sasuke, Kabuto and Tobi, or Madara if you will, are the ones working this plan." Shikamaru continued his analysis in between bites of his pork bun.

"We've got a confirmed sighting of Sasuke, several sighting of man fitting Kabuto's description, so I understand those. Where does Tobi come into this? He doesn't match the other man's description. And for all we know, he could be dead." The leader huffed a bit. "And if he really is Madara, he should be dead at least twice over."

"Well, Lady Tsunade, that's where the smiley face comes in." He paused to take a drink, washing down the last bit of bun. His wheels were still turning. "It's just a hunch, but Tobi, Madara's other personality, has a bit of a reputation as a joker."

"I've read the mission reports, Nara."

"Sorry. Anyway, before the Akatsuki's attack, it well-known that he had attached himself to Sasuke. And his body was never found either, so I think the probability that he's the one that sent us that little joke is pretty high. I also think he is the best candidate of the three to be their leader."

"So what do you suggest we do?" The hokage looked to him in earnest. "What should our plan of attack be?"

"Well, no matter what we do, it's going to be a trap. They know we're coming. At least that's what they're hoping for by leaving us these clues." Shikamaru closed his eyes in meditation, elbows on his knees to support his thinking hands. "It's hard to say without knowing their exact motives. If they wanted to hurt the village, there's easier ways to do so. It doesn't make sense."

"So you're advising that we do nothing?"

"No. I'm just saying that there's something we're missing." The meditating stopped. "If it were me, I'd send out a four man squad to Bordertown, undercover. One would need to be a merchant, preferably someone wealthy who deals in food commodities, since evidence seems to point towards them using food to disperse whatever drug is causing this. He would need a business partner or a second in command to help with believability, and for back up. The other two should be women. It'll be less conspicuous than a group of just men. One should be the wife of our head man, the other her maid servant. Their main objective would be to try to confirm the identities of any individuals involved through subversive means. We need to find the mystery guy so, if he is connected like we think he is, we are the ones chosen to disperse their goods. Once we've infiltrated their network and found out how extensive it is, we can send some black ops to take them out once and for all."

"Very good. I'll start putting together a team." The hokage looked very pleased. "Any recommendations?"

"Not anyone specific, but it wouldn't hurt if one of the females was special ops."

"Anything else?"

"Yeah. You need to go old school on this one, no henge or anything like that. The guys we're dealing with will just see through them." The man closed his eyes, once again in thought. "You wouldn't happen to have anything that makes a person's chakra signature disappear, would you?"

**.**

**.**

**. ~ { oOo } ~ .**

The day was bright and hot, making her clothes feel extraordinarily heavy as the woman walked through Konoha's open air market. Ino perused the clothing district, trying to distract her distraught mind, but for once nothing held her interest. What was wrong with her? Shopping always made her feel better, with the pleasure she felt increasing with every dollar spent. But not today. No, today the blonde had bought several high dollar items, and she was still in agony. For probably the first time in her life, she had truly made Chouji angry with her. And Ino couldn't blame him. She'd been a spectacular tease.

In self-loathing, the kunoichi gave up on her endeavors and made haste for her air-conditioned apartment.

Upon arriving, Ino went straight for the bathroom, stripping her sweat-soaked garments along the way. The shower, set to a briskly cool setting, felt heavenly and the blonde took her time, washing away dirt and grime and guilt. She would make this better somehow. She would redeem herself. After all, when the Mistress made her mind up, nothing could stand in her way. She always got her man and this time would be no exception. So what if she wasn't ready? Chouji loved her, so he would wait. Right? She could make him understand, right? Ino pressed the crown of her head into the tiled wall of her shower. What if she couldn't? What if he found out what a sham she was? Would he leave her? Chouji was a good man, a loyal man. But what if all she was became too much even for him?

Kakashi had recommended that she just get over it and make love to her boyfriend. After all, Ino probably had more theoretical knowledge than anyone else he knew, except maybe Jiraiya. He thought she'd be happy to finally feel the euphoria of it all for herself. She was in love with Chouji, so what exactly was her hang up? His advice took little time to relate, it being along the lines of  _'just do it already'_ , and had her walking back out the door nearly as soon as she had entered.

Kakashi hadn't meant to, but he had Ino feeling like a spoiled child as she left his place.

"Ino?" A frantic man's voice shattered her inner monologue. "Ino! Where are you?!"

She was about to answer when the bathroom door flung open, Chouji's large frame filling the entryway. His wide, frightened eyes relaxed into relief at the sight of her and he rushed over to her, pulling her out of the tub and into a forceful hug.

"What in the world has gotten into you?" Ino struggled in his grasp. "You're getting all wet. Let me go."

"No!" The man just squeezed tighter. "I came back and your door was wide open and clothes were everywhere and your purse was knocked over, stuff was all over the ground. I kept calling you and you didn't answer. Do you know what I thought had happened?"

"I'm just fine. Jeez." She managed to wiggle her arms out from where they had been pinned against his chest and flicked his cheek. "I was just so hot I couldn't think straight. I dropped everything as soon as I got inside. I guess I forgot to close the door too."

"Why didn't you answer?" Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, a bit of gruffness infused his attitude. "I wouldn't have overreacted if you had spoken up."

A bright blush covered her face, but she defiantly looked him straight in the face. "I was in the shower. And I had things on my mind. I was distracted."

"Really? What had you so distracted that you couldn't hear me?" His irritation he was increasing and Ino could feel it in the pace of his heartbeat.

"What do  _you_  think?" The reply came out a bit saucier than she intended. Chouji's mood must have started to wear on her.

"I don't know! That's why I'm asking!" The exasperated man tugged at his own hair, releasing his girlfriend in the process.

"You! You big idiot!" The angry, naked kunoichi pushed past the man, stomping on his foot in the process, and high tailed it towards her room. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get dressed!"

"Ouch. What was that for?"

Chouji just watched for a moment in disbelief. Then the full implications of the situation hit him. He'd had her! Ino had been in his arms without a lick of clothing on. He'd been trying for that very thing just this morning.

Now it was given to him on a silver platter and what did he do? He started a fight with her! And not just any fight. It was the first real disagreement the two of them had ever had, dating or otherwise. It was like he just couldn't do anything right today. This morning he was getting angry at Ino's reluctance and now he was getting angry at her when he was the one who had made incorrect assumptions. Without a conscious decision, his feet quickly followed in Ino's footsteps, overtaking her just as the woman reached the closet of clothes. Whirling her around in dramatic fashion, he caught her lips by surprise.

"I'm sorry. Heavens, Ino, I'm so sorry." His big hands came up to cradle her face. "I've been a jerk."

"Yes, you have." Her anger melted and her hands moved to mirror his own, palms pressed to his tattoos. "And I know. It's not easy, is it?"

"What's not easy, Ino?" Chouji closed his eyes, letting her soft breath wash over him.

"Being with me." Ino pulled him in close and tenderly kissed him. "I'm sorry too. You know, about this morning. I- I was afraid. Pretty silly, huh? Me, afraid of... that."

"It's not silly at all. Don't ever think that." Guilt pricked the man's gentle heart. "I didn't know you felt that way. I thought..."

"What? What did you think?" Oceans of blue filled his sight as the question fell from her lips.

"I thought- I thought you were repulsed by me. I know I'm not..."

Chouji's sentence was left unfinished as Ino gave his mouth something else to be occupied with, distracting him as she slowly maneuvered them towards the bed.

"Don't ever say that again." Panting and breathless, the woman pushed Chouji back until the backs of his legs came in contact with the mattress, causing him to stumble back into a sitting position. Anger, directed at herself for letting her beloved feel such a pain, spurned Ino on, giving her the courage that only that morning she had lacked. Roughly, she removed his shirt and threw it on the floor. Leaning over him, Ino tugged his head back by a handful of hair and claimed his lips once again. Over and over, she took hold of his mouth and heart until both were breathless, all the while insinuating herself onto his lap. "Lay back. I want to show just how much you _repulse_  me."

"I don't think so." And with a seductive smirk, he had their positions reversed, his body pressing into hers in a most masculine, arousing way. But rather than continuing the activity, Chouji paused and slowly let his hands roam her unveiled flesh, taking her in through the coarse pads of his fingertips. His expression went serious and for a moment there was vulnerability in his eyes that made Ino still completely. "My lady, I desperately want to make love to you. But... But I will wait for an eternity if you ask me to. I just wanted you to know that."

Her next kiss gave him the permission he wanted... and the sound of the doorbell stopped him in his tracks.

"Ino, please, please let me destroy that thing." Chouji sighed, resting his head on her bosom while she tried futilely to tame his wild hair.

A high-pitched giggle escaped her throat as she watched her beloved's torment. "Nope. Go answer the door."

"You're entirely too happy about this." Chouji snuggled even closer, trying to block the ringing sound from reaching his ears.

"Fine. I suppose I'll have to get it then." Another giggle accentuated her statement. "Whoever it is will be positively scandalized by my state of undress, don't you think?"

"I'm coming!" The large man yelled at the unwelcome visitor, before turning back to Ino. "Stay right there. I'll be right back."

"I thought you said you'd wait for an eternity."

"That doesn't mean I want to." The seriousness returned to his face as he quickly put on his shirt, inside-out, then he was gone. It was but a moment before he was back, now holding an official scroll with the Hokage's seal.

"Chouji, what's that? Who was at the door?"

"Anbu. Get dressed." Chouji looked at her wistfully before continuing. "Apparently we're being sent on a classified mission."

 


	8. A Clean Shot

Dark eyes gazed into an endless scene of greenery, the only view that had been available to the woman for nearly four hours. Her face was peaceful, a mask of serenity and grace. But her eyes, those eyes! A close observer would have seen much written there. The absolute boredom that came from travel by carriage, the irritation caused by her ridiculously intricate updo, which weighed its raven burden heavily upon her head, and the pain of stiffly maintaining proper posture while wearing yards upon yards of stifling material, all these could be seen there. How desperately she wished to just be able to stretch her arms above her head! But she wouldn't. A lady of breeding knew that appearances were everything and that pain was the price one paid for beauty and reputation. Instead, she let a small, feminine sigh escape her lips, barely more than a whisper. They still had at least an hour of travel, and torture, left.

"Is everything alright, my love?" the man sitting directly across from her queried. There was gentle concern marked in his round features, quite a contrast to the severity of his appearance. His robes were of the same formal quality as the woman's, albeit less encumbering, and his dark auburn hair was pulled up into the traditional topknot that signified his noble samurai lineage.

"Yes, my lord." A demure nod accompanied the response. "Please forgive my impatience. I am just a bit weary and wish to be at our new home."

"There is nothing to forgive, dearest. I, too, wish to see our new home." A great smile lit up the carriage. "Besides, I know that this is not your preferred method of travel."

"You know me too well, my lord." The woman let the faintest hint of a grin play with the corner of her lips. "It would certainly seem that there would be faster ways to travel."

"Yes, but then we would miss out on the beauty that this leisurely pace affords us." He then turned to the man at his side. "I am sure that Sei appreciates the view immensely. Surely it gives great inspiration, does it not?"

"While this is quite true," the impassive companion commented, "I must agree with Lady Sumire. There are more efficient modes of transportation."

"Thank you, Mr. Nakamura, for that affirmation." Again, the hint of upturned lips graced the lady's visage. "I am afraid that your opinion will carry more weight with my dear Lord Soichiro, as I am far less traveled than any of our small company."

"Now, now, my dear! You know that your insight matters greatly to me. Besides, I am sure that Chisato is far less traveled than you." The lord turned to the woman sitting adjacent to his lady. "I am sure this is your first time outside of Wind country. Am I wrong?"

"No, milord." Her head, with her long chocolate hair tied back neatly in a simple bow, inclined in respect. Her eyes, which matched her hair tone for tone, shone with steely resolve. "But my previous employer enjoyed traveling immensely, so I had many opportunities to be her escort."

Laughter, deep and rolling, filled the small cabin. "Well said, Chisato! You make a fine companion for my dear Sumire. With you by her side, I do not have to worry about her being taken advantage of, delicate as she is. You have the spirit equal to any man."

"Thank you, milord." The reply was simple, straight-forward like the woman who spoke it.

The rest of the trip was endured in silence, uncomfortable in body, but comfortable in the company kept. The forest thinned out, making way for farmland, and small groups of houses, humble and unadorned, seemed to grow out of the ground much the same as the crops that surrounded them. The sight was a welcome change of pace; these first signs of civilization emphasized that their destination was fast upon them. Gradually, the farms and homes grew in size and luxury, until they pulled into the drive of one that seemed to outshine all the rest. Its position, with rich earth and multiple streams, was prime land for production of a great variety of plant life and was the envy of all the farmers of the region. The home, nay mansion, which sat upon the land, did much to provoke that envy as well. Upon the great porch, a half-dozen servants awaited their arrival eagerly, excited to meet the new master and mistress. Another dozen men, strong and brown from their daily field work, lined the end portion of the drive. The scope of it all was magnificent.

"My dear, your new home."

**.**

**.**

**. ~ { oOo } ~ .**

Their arrival at the Hokage's office was marked with surprise. Ino and Chouji had been the last of those receiving summons to arrive. All eyes, six sets to be precise, were on them as the doors opened, each taking in the couple's dishevelment. Ino, used to being the center of attention, dismissed the open stares with but a flick of her ponytail. Hadn't they ever seen a woman without makeup on before? If they wanted to get themselves into a tizzy over her lack of cosmetics, that was their prerogative. Chouji, on the other hand, blushed profusely as he realized that his shirt was still on inside-out. And backwards. He was never the subject of such scrutiny and he found that he thoroughly disliked it. A low chuckle could be heard towards the back of the room, but it was quickly squelched by a chakra-infused smack upside the offender's head.

"I have a mission for you of the utmost importance." The hokage leveled her gaze at each shinobi in the room. "It is time for us to go on the offensive. We may finally have the means of ending this war. Shikamaru will be the DOS officer responsible for this mission. Please give him your full attention. Shikamaru."

"Yeah. We have some evidence that our enemy's next move will be in Bordertown, but we need confirmation. That's where you guys come in." The jounin motioned to half the ninja in the office. "We are sending a team undercover to determine the whereabouts and extent of the enemy's network. Chouji, Ino, Sai, and Tenten, you will be the recon team. Here are your mission directives." Shikamaru paused to pass folders to the four. "Sai, you will be the squad leader for the duration of mission."

"I accept." The dark-haired man nodded his affirmation.

"Good. Chouji, you and Ino will be posing as newlyweds, obscure nobility from one of the lesser samurai clans. Sai will be posing as your business partner and Tenten as Ino's lady-in-waiting. The rest of the details on your assumed personas are in the packets I just gave you. Study them well. As for your targets, there are three that we are looking for in particular." A sigh escaped the man's lips, preparation for what he had to say next. "Sasuke is our number one suspect. Suna has had confirmed sightings of him and our intel department was able to confirm that he had a hand in at least one of the incidents. At this point, we are only looking for information. Do not engage him."

The room went silent and tension filled the air. Amber eyes pinned a stern glare on two of the shinobi in the room. "Is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am." The same reply rippled throughout the room.

"Continue."

"The other target that we are familiar with is Kabuto. He..." Shikamaru had to pause in his briefing due to the chaos this statement caused. The group, fairly large for such a small space, made quite an unruly commotion as they tried to process the information. He let them go on for a few moments before he reined them in. "Hey. Shut up!" Finally, quiet returned to the room. Apparently it was more shocking to hear Shikamaru raise his voice than to hear that a long-lost enemy, thought to be deceased, was back. "Yeah, we all thought he was dead. But, we have several confirmed sightings of a man fitting his description near many of the villages that were affected. I will remind you that his body was never recovered, so his death was not at any time confirmed. The outbreaks we are dealing with were most likely done by someone with exceptional skill as a med-nin or a poison specialist. Kabuto is both, and an accomplished spy, someone with the skill set necessary to pull this off. You will proceed under the assumptions that he is, in fact, alive and a prime suspect. Are there any more objections?" The room remained silent, so the jounin went on. "Needless to say, you are not to engage him. We are only after confirmation of his presence. On to our third target. The last target is an unknown element. We have very little information on him. He has been seen at many of the villages just prior to an attack and each time he was seen traveling with the man that fits Kabuto's description. He is supposedly a nomadic merchant. He is middle-aged, with dark hair, slightly graying at the temple, medium build and attractive. He has also made himself known to be a womanizer. At this time, there is no indication that he has shinobi training. If he is indeed involved, he has the highest probability of giving us good intelligence with the least risk. You are to engage this mark. Ino, this is where your skill set will come into play. The utmost discretion will need to be used. We may need to use him further, so it cannot be known that he was compromised. We won't be able to use a dead man."

"Don't worry your pretty little head about it, Shikamaru." The mistress smirked. "He'll be in the most delicate of hands."

"Ok, moving on." Shikamaru spared a glance at his best friend, surveying his face for any trace of emotion. If her comment had bothered him, Chouji was not showing it. "Naruto and Sakura, you will be the back up team. Kakashi will rendezvous with you when he finishes his current assignment. Until he does, Sakura will be team leader. You are being deployed to Urzu Village, about an hour east of Bordertown. They have just requested a team to help in the rebuilding of their village, which is half buried under the remains of a recent landslide. They also have some wounded and have requested a medic. It is the perfect cover. Sai, you will send a report to Naruto of the recon team's findings every evening at nineteen hundred hours, via your ink summons. If anything useful is found, Naruto, you will relay the findings back to us via your summons. I trust you can gain the toads' cooperation." The blonde nodded in affirmation, a rare sense of gravity overcoming him. The shadow user continued. "Communication is going to be the key in the success of this mission. Remember, this is a reconnaissance mission. You are not to engage the targets in combat without express consent of the hokage, unless self-defense is required. Any questions?"

"When do we leave?" The question, coming from Naruto, managed to surprise Shikamaru. He was certain that he would be fielding arguments over the team leader position.

"You will be dispatched in two days. Naruto, you and Sakura will be leaving at o-five hundred hours. I want you in place before the main mission starts. The recon team will be leaving at o-eight hundred hours. Take the time you have between now and then to study your packets and gather any supplies you feel you will need. Recon team, you will be required to use these." A small vial was handed out to each of the four ninja. "You are required to take one pill a day, at the same time daily, for the duration of your mission. It's a new medication developed by the medical R & D department. It should completely suppress your chakra signature. Sakura will answer any questions you have about them. Also, recon team, you will need to report to Shizune tomorrow morning, no later than o-nine hundred hours. She will be helping you with your disguises. The use of henge is not permitted for this mission, so be prepared for drastic changes to your personal appearance." The jounin turned to face his leader. "Lady Hokage?"

"Thank you, Shikamaru." The leader turned her attention back to the group as she stood, feet planted firmly, the spikes of her heels grounding her. Tsunade took the time to look at each person directly, an unspoken challenge to see the mission through to the end, what ever the end may be. "This is an S-ranked mission and is strictly classified. We believe our enemies to be expecting us. Follow through with the assumption that everything about this situation is a trap. If any of you have any doubts about your part in this endeavor, now is the time to speak up." The lady paused, giving her subordinates the chance to disappoint and relieve her all in one fell swoop, should they choose. Determination was all she received. "Very well. Dismissed."

The shinobi filtered out of Tsunade's office, eager to start on their much-needed preparations, leaving the village leader and her strategist to themselves. The blonde sat on the edge of her desk, her deflation evident where grit had been moments ago. Worry and misgivings creased her brow.

"They'll be alright, you know."

"Of course they will. And your 'promotion' will become permanent." Her response was marked with mild irritation. "But if they're not, you'll find yourself back at the academy. After you find all your teeth."

"If that happens, my teeth will be the least of my worries." A sarcastic smirk colored his features. "You aren't the only unnaturally strong, blonde woman in the village."

"Get out of my office." The abrupt response came out more good-natured than leader meant for it to. An authoritative finger, a weak attempt to maintain her stern countenance, pointed towards the door. "And get some rest. That's an order."

"I will. Soon. But I have one last piece of troublesome business to take care of first." His mouth tightened into a grimace.

She nodded in understanding. "Good luck."

**.**

**.**

**. ~ { oOo } ~ .**

The day had been exhausting. Between traveling, meeting servants, and learning the layout of the extensive property, all while maintaining the pretense of being a sheltered lady of nobility, Ino was more than ready for a hot bath and a soft bed. As soon as she deemed it polite to do so, she excused herself from the formal sitting room that the group had been ushered into after their dinner. Tenten, as her lady-in-waiting, was also excused to help her prepare for bed. The four new arrivals knew that this was far from necessary, but appearances needed to be kept for the sake of the servants who would not retire until the master of the house did. Chouji and Sai had a few more business issues in regards to the property to discuss, ironing out what the schedule for the following day would be, before they would also retire.

As the women crossed the threshold of the master suite, careful to close the door behind them, they breathed a collective sigh of relief. Ino pulled her aching limbs over her head as she kicked off her shoes. It felt so good!

"Here, let me help you with your getup." Tenten, though tired out also, came to the quick rescue of her friend. "I don't know how you do it. These layers weigh more than all my scrolls."

"It's nice to have a taste of luxury every now and then." The mistress smirked as her companion relieved her of all but the inmost garment. "It makes you appreciate the practicality of our everyday wear."

"Well, I can appreciate it without putting all that on, thank you."

"Today was just for show. I won't have to wear these again unless we get invited to a formal gathering."

"We better turn down any invites we get because I do  _not_  want to help you get back into that getup." Tenten motioned to Ino's head. "What do you want to do with that? You want help taking it out or are you going sleep on that stupid wood block? Seriously, I just don't understand the lengths girls will go to for beauty."

Ino giggled at the sour face that accompanied her friend's remark. "It's okay. I can take it down myself. I plan on having my everyday updo be much more simple while we are here. But you'll be helping me put it up if we have any events that require something more formal. I know you know how." She waggled a finger. "And no turning down invitations. We need all the connections we can get."

"Yeah, yeah. As long as I don't have to do that to  _my_  hair." The brunette dismissed the idea with a wave of her hand. "I'll see you in the morning, milady."

After the girl left to go to her own room, Ino rushed to claim the tub as her own. She was pleased to see that the servants had already unpacked all her things, making the bath time preparation much easier for the exhausted kunoichi; all items pertaining to the mission were packed among Tenten's things since she would not require assistance from servants, being a servant herself. The woman started the bath, then sat upon a stool in front of the large vanity mirror and methodically released her hair from the multitude of pins holding it in place. It was vaguely disconcerting. The image in the frame did not match the image in her head.

Ino disrobed fully, and then eased her tired body into the warm water. As she attended to her personal hygiene, she took time to study hands, feet, fingers, wrists, knees and long, lean limbs. It was a great comfort. From the neck down, everything, all of her person, was exactly as she remembered. It was the first time, despite her many special op missions, that she felt uncomfortable seeing The Mistress as her reflection. She had been asked to take on many different disguises, most much more overtly sexual than the one she had on now. But none had ever bothered her before. Never before had she wished she could just be Ino. But, that was how she currently felt. And she hated it. Her hand smacked the water, causing ripples to obscure the image on the surface, and she rose.

After dressing in her yukata, she sat on the stool once again. Frustrated, Ino started to comb out her long locks. The dye that Shizune used on it changed not only the color, but the texture as well, and the woman was still adjusting to the changes. Her hair just did not want to cooperate with Ino's ministrations. The more she attacked, the more tangled it seemed to get. As she laid her head on the countertop in defeat, gentle hands took the comb from her fingers.

"Let me do that."

Settling back into an upright position, Ino silently obeyed. His hands, so very large and strong and masculine, tenderly worked out the knots acquired during the long day. It was a very calming sensation and she allowed herself to close her eyes only briefly; it wouldn't do to fall asleep before he was done. She studied the image of him that reflected in looking glass in front of her. The man was completely enrapt in the task at hand. Alternating furrows of challenge and smirks of triumph flitted across his face and the woman had to stifle her laughter as to not disturb him. As she watched him continue to work, a contemplative mood overcame her. If she were honest, he, in his current form, was much easier to look at than she in her guise. His hair was darker than usual, sleeker than usual, and his face was much more serious with his facial tattoos covered as they were by temporary skin grafts. His eyes shone with viridian flecks, implanted by an advancement in medical ninjutsu that only the most skilled nin could pull off convincingly, that while both handsome and regal, did not give off the same determination she knew. But he was still, to her at least, unmistakably Chouji. The changes could not mask his good-humor or his loyalty or any of the thousands of traits that made him the man who he was. He was not trapped in a stranger's body. He wore it as an extension of himself. Ino gave herself another once-over and realized that she could no longer recognize who she was. All that was left of her was the disguise and looking at her beloved, she understood for the first time what she had really sacrificed to her ambition. She had sacrificed her very soul.

"All done, my lady." Chouji set the comb back down on the vanity, his lips brushing her neck just above the line where exposed skin met with cloth. He scooped her up into his arms effortlessly. "Let's get to bed."

He playfully plopped her down on the extravagant bed before heading to back to the bathroom to wash up a bit himself. He returned a few short moments later, his face clean and hair down, wearing a yukata that matched hers in every way but size. His body eased onto the bed, under the covers, and settled next to her. His eyes never left hers. He must have seen something there that he hadn't beforehand because all the playfulness was gone, replaced with concern. His hand reached out, tentative, and began to trace the contours of her face. The fleeting touches started at her hairline and moved slowly down, to brows and lashes and lobes and lips, finally settling lightly on her clavicle. Then, with eyes still open and searching, his mouth repeated the actions of his fingers. First brows and lashes and lobes and finally, finally he reached her lips. His kiss was languid, yet thorough, taking his time to both enjoy her and lavish her with his undivided attention. When it was over, Chouji pulled back and searched her face again. A hesitant blush colored her cheeks.

"Doesn't it bother you?" Ino finally blurted out. It bothered her, the ease in which she could change not just her appearance, but her character. So it stood to reason that it should bother him too.

It took him a moment to register what she was referring to, but all he could do was chuckle at her worries. "Of course not."

Ino was stunned silent for a moment as she mulled his response over in her mind. The conclusion she came to bothered her more than her first one. "Then... you like how I look, how I act, better now?"

"No. It's just not an issue either way." He was no longer laughing, but his lips still had the trace of a smirk. "You're still you, Ino, no matter what you look like. I might not be able to see you, but I'll always know who you are."

A weight lifted off the woman's shoulders and that, combined with the fatigue of the day, made her downright giddy. "So you'd know it was me even if I were disguised as, say, Rock Lee?"

"Yes, Ino."

"Would you still kiss me?"

"Actually, I think green spandex is kind of hot."

"You are so getting hit for that one, Akimichi."

"Ok, but in the morning." His mouth was covered in a sly grin. "I'm too tired to be dominated right now."

"Chouji!" Her admonishment was only half-hearted and instead of hitting him, she snuggled closer to his chest, muttering, "In your dreams." Just as sleep caught up with her, Ino whispered up a small prayer.

_Please, one day let me see myself as he sees me._

**.**

**.**

**. ~ { oOo } ~ .**

The next morning had the group rising bright and early, refining the day's plans over breakfast. The guys, after taking a tour of the property and all its facilities, would head into town to the market. The farm's production was so superior that several years back a large store-front had been added to the estate's assets and was now, in fact, the largest grocer in the region. Chouji, as the new master of the household, along with his assistant, were expected to take over the management of the financial side of the business. This daily routine would give ample opportunity for information gathering; the market always teemed with the latest news.

The girls had the more difficult task, due to their station, in finding legitimate reasons to leave the refuge of the estate on a daily basis. Ino, as a lady, was expected to stay at home, waiting diligently for Chouji to return, all while managing the internal household. While this was not necessarily counter-productive, for as the saying goes,  _the servants know everything_ , they would still need to have a reason to leave the mansion to help with the reconnaissance. It was decided, after much deliberation, that the guise best suited to the task would be some form of charity work. It was not uncommon for a woman of means, blessed with a tender heart, to devote a portion of her day helping those less fortunate than herself. There happened to be, by providence, a small children's home in the vicinity of the store, and as such, it would raise no suspicion for Ino and Tenten to include both in their daily errands. Decisions having been made, Chouji left instructions with the head manservant, a likeable middle-aged gentleman named Shin, to escort the ladies into town at their leisure and the men left to start their day.

Ino wasted no time. This was not the first instance in which she had been asked to play the role of a woman of nobility. Her first order of business was to seek out the head of household affairs. The stern woman, wrinkled from age with white hair twisted severely upon her head, met with her in the private parlor to go over the details of the day. Her name was Mari and what she lacked in personality she made up for in efficiency. In the course of less than an hour, they had made re-introductions with all the heads of staff, gone over the servant roster, planned the menu for the entire week, made arrangements with the cooking staff for treats to be made for the children, and gone over the basic household budget. After that Mari excused herself, leaving behind the account books for Ino to work, along with a maidservant, Misao, whose knowledge of the inner workings of the mansion would help keep the new lady out of Mari's hair. Ino sat at the work desk, busying herself with the ledgers, and let out a soft sigh.

"Missing your Lord already, Mistress?" Tenten queried, with just a bit of mischief sprinkled in her tone.

"Yes." The woman replied without hesitation, though she had the good grace to blush at being so honest. "But if I do not dawdle with my duties, I can see him soon. And perhaps we can have a bit of fun shopping!"

"That is true."

"Come, Chisato, read to me while I work. Surely that will help the time pass quickly!" Ino daintily clasped her hands together. "Do you like fairy stories, Misao? Chisato has been reading from the most fascinating book!"

The girl replied hesitantly. "Yes, milady."

"I am so glad." The lady nodded knowingly to Tenten. "I believe we shall be great friends."

Rumors soon swirled throughout the estate about the lovable naivety of their new mistress.

**.**

**.**

**. ~ { oOo } ~ .**

Chouji shut his eyes to the jostling of the horse-drawn carriage. He could hear the scritch-scratch of Sai's pencil flowing over the small notepad that the man had been taking notes on earlier; whether he was finalizing today's plans or sketching scenery, Chouji could not be bothered to verify. Between the rhythm of travel and the white noise of Sai's creation, Chouji was lulled into an almost meditative state, lost in the inner workings of his mind. Despite his best efforts to the contrary, the shinobi's thoughts kept drifting back to a conversation he had with Shikamaru just after the assignment meeting. It had shaken Chouji up, in ways that he had not thought possible. After all, his friend didn't say anything to him that he didn't already know, that he hadn't already told himself.

It had unsettled him all the same, a small niggling at the back of his mind whenever there was a pause in stimuli.

**.**

**.**

**.**

" _Hey guys, wait up!" Shikamaru's swift gait, which he seldom deemed necessary to use outside of battle, had him reaching his teammates just as they were leaving the Hokage's building. "I need to borrow Chouji for a bit."_

_Ino's eyes met his, the two coming to some sort of unspoken understanding that Chouji was not privy to. With a slight nod of her head, Ino gave her reply. "Of course, Shika. He's all yours." The girl lightly patted her beau's cheek. "I'll see you in the morning."_

" _So, what's up?" Chouji broke the silence left by Ino's absence after watching her casually saunter around the corner. He tried to keep his tone relaxed, but it was harder than usual with his friend wearing that expression. It was rare that Chouji was the source of any trouble, so he was not used to having that look, that troublesome look, aimed at him._

" _Are you ready for this mission?"_

" _Ready, Shikamaru?"_

" _Don't play dumb with me, man. If you want to play dumb with her, well, that's your business." The dark-haired man popped his neck, stretching it back and forth in an attempt to relieve some kind of tension, and sighed. "This is an important mission. I've got to know that you can put your feelings for her aside and do the job."_

" _Are you questioning my ability?" Chouji's fingers clenched in his pockets as he watched his friend shake his head negatively. "My loyalty then?"_

" _Man, do I have to spell it out for you?" Shikamaru's expression turned mildly incredulous. "Your job for this mission is to insure that she can do hers safely."_

" _I understand that."_

" _Do you really? I'm not sure you're getting the full implications of the task I'm giving you. When it comes time for her part in this mission, she's going to be vulnerable and it's going to be up to you to protect her. You are going to hear everything going on between her and her mark, but you won't be allowed to do anything unless she is in danger."_

" _Again, I understand that."_

" _I am asking her to screw another guy for information while her boyfriend, my best friend, stands outside the door listening. Are you really okay with that?" The man looked Chouji straight in the eye, his countenance exuding with an undeclared challenge. Chouji stared right back, his face marked with resolve. "Then you are a better man than I am."_

" _What was the point of this, Shikamaru? I made peace with this before I started dating her and you very well know it." This time Chouji was the one doing the testing, his calm demeanor hiding the turbulence underneath._

" _I had to be sure. Too much is riding on this mission." Fatigued shoulders slumped. "Besides, I made a vow."_

" _A vow?"_

" _Yeah. To never send you out unprepared again."_

**.**

**.**

**. ~ { oOo } ~ .**

The carriage lurched to a stop in front of their destination. While most grocers still peddled their wares out of traveling carts or small outdoor markets, they would have the privilege of working out of a true grocery store. The street front was well and neatly kept, its wooden porch freshly swept and pots of flowers in full, manicured bloom. The building itself was whitewashed with deep green wooden shutters, now open to let the natural light inside, that matched the door and the scrolling letters on the business's sign.

The inside was sizeable, with nearly twice the space of the Yamanaka's flower shop, and the care taken with outside appearances was reflected in the interior. On one half of the main room there were a few aisles designated for fresh produce, stacked in pretty rows of seasonal color. Most of the crops came from the Muramasa estate, but there were also designated areas for local farmers to sell their goods. The other half held shelves of non-perishable goods in great variety, ranging from canned meats to instant ramen. Behind the sales counter were a few more small shelves holding exotic and expensive delicacies that had to be imported from other regions or countries. On the north side of the building, there were two small, adjoining rooms. The first was the cold room that held all the meats, dairy products, and more delicate produce that the shop had to offer. The other was the management office, complete with an accounting desk, file cabinets, and a bespectacled clerk. After a brief introduction, Chouji left Sai to the management side of things, while he returned to the main room to greet the store's workers. It had been agreed that they would each fulfill the roles that suited them best. Sai would maintain the business office, while Chouji would oversee the staff and provide customer service.

Chouji was kept busy all morning.

Word had made its way around town that the estate and, by proxy, the store were under new management, no longer under the supervision of stewards but by the true owner of the estate. Everyone was curious to see the new man in charge, to see for themselves the type of person he was. Under the stewards' watch the property had flourished and out of the profits they had seen fit to give back to the community on many an occasion. They had a good and fair reputation, so the people were rightly anxious as to how these changes may affect not only the store, but themselves. The affable shinobi spent most of his energy assuaging these fears, spinning light-hearted tales of the newlywed couple's need for adventure away from the stifling samurai way of life. He embellished it with anecdotes of how his father had given him the shop with the admonishment not to get in the way those who already knew the business, that he was to be a glorified figurehead and nothing more. Word passed quickly around the market. Once the afternoon rolled around, people were coming in not out of concern, but out of curiosity, wanting to hear the good-natured samurai and perhaps get a glimpse of his wife.

By the time Ino and Tenten had arrived, accompanied by the diligent Shin, most of the hubbub had settled down. The girls had spent time at the orphanage first, passing around treats and telling stories from Tenten's book. When the children's free time was over, they left with the assurance that they would be most welcome to make their visits daily ones, if the ladies were so inclined. Having the first part of their mission go off successfully, they sought out the gentlemen, bringing with them lunch and leftover treats. The customers that did linger looked on Ino with delight and congratulated Chouji on securing such a fine bride. Ino blushed artlessly, making the most of the lovely situation, and thanked them for their positive appraisal. Skillfully, the shinobi worked their pre-appointed code words into the seemingly benign conversations.

"My Lord Soichiro, this place is lovely!" Ino's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. "And you have so many varieties of local produce!"

_Any leads?_

"I am pleased with what we have, but there are some things we don't carry yet. I will be speaking with some of the farmers soon. Hopefully we can come to a mutual arrangement. How was your time with the children?"

_Not yet. Figured out who has loose lips though. What about you?_

Ino pouted just a bit. "We had a pleasurable time, but none of the young ones have really warmed up to me yet. I suppose I will have to try again tomorrow."

_Nothing of use to us yet. Haven't checked everyone though._

"Dear, you've had quite a day. Let Shin and Chisato take you home." Chouji offered her his arm and lead her to the door. "I will be home early tonight, so don't fret. I'm sure we can come up with a great plan to win the children over."

_Good enough for a first day._

"Yes, my lord." Ino smiled and allowed herself to be taken back to the mansion to prepare the next day's exploits.

**.**

**.**

**. ~ { oOo } ~ .**

After a fortnight of this repeated schedule, the days started to blend into each other, similar scenes replaying themselves over and over like a broken record. The four became accustomed to their roles and schedules and the people readily embraced them into the community, their covers being built upon day by day. They had gained the trust of the citizens. In doing so, they also gained numerous byways into the collectives of information that were found in the town. But none contained the intelligence they needed. The man they were looking for was elusive. As far as they could discern, he had never been to Bordertown before, therefore any clues or evidence they had been hoping for was nonexistent. Still they waited, hoping for some change.

It was four days into their third week undercover when the recon team finally got a lead. The intel did not come from local sources though, even after weeks of painstakingly establishing an unsuspecting information network. It came from Sakura, in the form of a lover's note to Sai, attached to the foot of his ink summons.

_Beloved,_

_I cannot wait to be back in your arms! Sometimes I wonder why I accepted this position. I am finding more and more that people do not respect female medics. I was accosted today by my own patient! He complimented my beautiful hair, and then had the gall to ask if I had the same color south of the equator! Of course, I slapped him in his middle-aged face and had my partner escort him out of the clinic. The last I saw of him, he was heading west out of the village. Good riddance!_

_I must be going- my break is over. I hope this finds you well! Next time we meet I shall be expecting that kiss you promised me!_

_With all my love,_

_Your Beautiful Doctor_

**.**

**.**

**. ~ { oOo } ~ .**

Sakura's message put them all on high alert as they knew that it was in reference to their possible target. The men spent longer hours in town and at the shop, Sai slinking around the alleyways near the market while Chouji continued to mind the gossip that customers brought in. Tenten, when her presence wasn't required by Ino, kept her ears perked for any new tidbits that the servants had caught wind of; she had done very well ingratiating herself with the mansion staff. Ino visited the orphanage daily, listening to all the children's stories and daily experiences, knowing that at times particulars could be gleaned from the least likely of places.

She also began the habit of spending her afternoons at the store, mostly working the sales counter, despite the servants declarations of the impropriety of it, and visiting with the housewives that came in to shop. Ino's presence brought numerous customers to the store as she had quickly become the favorite of many and some would come in just to see her. Her fashion sense, which was appropriate for her station yet lacking the usual pomp and circumstance, gained her popularity with the young women. Her open and unaffected manners appealed to most everyone else. Also, it had been decided amongst the group that if their mark was truly headed their way, the bait should be out in plain sight.

**.**

**.**

**. ~ { oOo } ~ .**

"Excuse me, miss. Could you direct me to the owner of this fine establishment?" Ino lifted her head, taking her eyes off of the catalog she had been browsing, to welcome the shop's newest visitor. She was startled a bit, though she had the good sense not to show it. The guest was a handsome middle-aged man, with dark features and just enough gray at his temples to look dignified. If it weren't for the sleazy aura surrounding him, given away by his body language, she could see Shikamaru looking something like this man in a couple of decades.

"You must mean my husband, Lord Soichiro. If you give me but a moment, I will be happy to retrieve him for you." Ino gave a coy curtsey and made to leave the room.

"If you would be so kind," the man interrupted her retreat, "Would you give me your name so that I can properly thank you for your courtesy?"

"Of course, sir." The man rounded on her, taking her hand, but Ino stood her ground. "I am Lady Sumire Muramasa."

"A lovely name for a lovely lady." He kissed her hand, lingering more than what could truly be considered appropriate. She blushed like the innocent bride she was feigning to be. "Thank you, Lady Sumire. I am in your debt."

"Your gratitude is not necessary, but I accept it nonetheless." She delivered her reply hastily as she took back her hand. "My husband will be out shortly."

Ino made her way to management office, politely asking the clerk if she could have a moment of privacy with husband. The clerk complied readily and shut the door behind him as he left to man the sales counter. After conveying her suspicions to Chouji and Sai, together they went to receive their guest.

The dialogue went much as they had been expecting, to their great relief. The man, whose name was Michio, was a well-traveled merchant. He had a few exotics, some fruit from the far south of the Land of Fire and a variety of jarred delicacies from Suna, that the shop did not already carry which he was happy to sell. After a bit of negotiation, Chouji gave him a fair price, rather than the exorbitant cost that Michio had tried to lead the exchange with. Chouji's extensive gourmet knowledge was a very practical help.

With preliminary business happily settled, Michio brought forth another proposal to the men. He claimed that his specialty ran more along the lines of event coordinating, rather than mercantile; selling his wares was just a way of bringing in revenue for his true work. The man had heard, through the village gossip, that they were new to town, but had been well received by the community. It was customary to reciprocate those positive feelings, he conjectured, and he believed he had a great plan about how to do so. A village-wide feast and celebration would be just the thing and the goodwill that came from it would drum up more business for the shop.

Chouji played at being reluctant, citing that the preparations would be difficult and time consuming, not to mention that cost would be high. Michio brushed off his worries, stating that he would make all the necessary arrangements, being sure to keep budgetary concerns in mind, all for a very negligible fee. Ino daintily exclaimed her preference for the idea, while Sai nodded his head in assent, so Chouji accepted the proposition. A genial handshake sealed the deal.

Over the course of the next week, the shop played host to Michio on a great number of occasions. He came in daily, sometimes multiple times, to go over the plans he was drawing up for the party. Since it was imperative that Ino develop a repore with the man, it being an essential part of her mission, Chouji let the merchant know that his wife would be coordinating with him on the details. Michio was more than happy to oblige. They had a daily tête-à-tête, in which Ino played at being the naive newlywed and her new acquaintance found every excuse to be friendly. His overtures did not cross the line of what was considered socially acceptable, but they walked that line heavily.

Rumors started to circulate that the man had designs on the former samurai's wife; the servants, being concerned over their new mistress, told Tenten some rather lurid tales of his other conquests in hopes that someone could dissuade the association. Ino continued to encourage the matter.

Chouji, for his part, did his best to grin and bear it.

**.**

**.**

**. ~ { oOo } ~ .**

One night after dinner, while the group was alone in the casual parlor, the girls taking their hand to some needlework and the men playing a friendly game of shogi, Ino made an announcement.

"Chisato, have the other servants turned in for the night?" Her inflection spoke to what she was really asking.  _Has this room been properly secured?_

"No need to worry. I set them up every time we come in here." Tenten motioned to the invisible seals over the doorway.

"Good." Ino breathed out a sigh of relief. She'd been so preoccupied with her part of the mission that she hadn't even noticed as the others fulfilled theirs. "I finally have a real development with the target. He wants to meet me in private rather than at the shop."

Chouji turned slightly widened eyes on her. "So what did you tell him?"

"I told him he could meet me here and that I would make the arrangements, of course. I'm to feign sickness as an excuse to stay home from the shop. He will be here by 3:00 pm."

"That is acceptable." Sai gave his modest praise, and then took charge over making plans. "Chouji, you will give the house servants a holiday. It would be better to have no unwanted interruptions or accidental witnesses. Also, no one must suspect anything is amiss, so you will have to send a shadow clone to work with me. The real you will stay here to guard Ino. Tenten, you will provide back up for Chouji. Prepare as if you are going on holiday too. When Ino says she is unwell, you can volunteer to stay with her. That should give you a sufficient cover story."

"Understood!" Tenten gave her enthusiastic approval of the plan.

"Be on your toes." Sai warned darkly. "This man may be more than he appears to be."

"Of course. I think I'll turn in now." The former blonde rose, stretching her arms over her head, and turned to her leader with a knowing smirk. "Tomorrow should be an exciting day, right?"

Two dark heads nodded their goodbyes as she left the room. Chouji followed her out, escorting her to their shared room. He spoke not a word.

That night their bed preparations were done in silence and careful avoidance of one another, as if they were performing an intricate dance in which the slightest touch or glance was taboo. Up until now they had been having a pleasant time posing as a young couple, enjoying the opportunities to be openly romantic. The time afforded them in this mission caused the lines to blur as their cover situation, the feelings that they must portray, mirrored their personal ones so closely. It had become hard to decipher where reality ended and the mission began, in the very best way possible. It wasn't until now, when they were both forced to face her mark, that they remembered the anxieties that came along with their directives.

Ino climbed into bed, pulling the covers up to her chin in spite of the still-lingering late summer heat. Her partner turned off the lights and quietly joined her. He pulled her into his arms, the embrace possessive and rough with unspoken emotion. And she let him, her conflicting thoughts concerning what tomorrow held, laced with both guilt and excitement, rendering her weak; her strength had wholly left her. His masculine hands ran up and down her back, at times kneading into her flesh harshly, as if trying to reassure himself that she was truly there. His mouth joined in, taking from her hot, frantic kisses. Her mind was slow, too wrapped up in her self-reflection to fully register the actions, but her body complied readily. He rolled them over, Ino now on her back with him hovering over her, and continued his attack down her jaw line, then on to the hollow of her lean neck. It was then, as his hand boldly shifted past her yukata to capture a supple breast, that the woman understood. Jealous had taken over. Chouji's intentions were to mark her as his own before Michio had opportunity to put his hands on her.

"Chouji, stop." Her voice was soft and tender as her hands ran through his hair, trying to calm him. "We agreed, remember? Not during the mission. I can't afford to be distracted. It's too dangerous."

Chouji paused, resting his head upon hers with a sigh. Then he fixed the mess he had made of her bedclothes and rolled back to his side of the bed, his back facing her. Ino curled into herself, determined to keep the saline from falling, and did her best to get some sleep.

**.**

**.**

**. ~ { oOo } ~ .**

The entire household was gathered in the formal parlor shortly after breakfast the next morning. Chouji, with Sai by his side, relayed his thanks to the staff for making his and his new bride's transition so easy and welcoming, giving them the rest of the day off as a reward. There were many joyous faces in the room, Ino noticed from her seat on the settee behind Chouji, though it seemed there were a few die-hard workaholics that wanted to protest. He had seen it also and informed them, in jest, that anyone refusing his generous offer to have fun should resign their post immediately. This squelched any murmuring, though a couple scowls remained. Tenten, upon noticing Ino's apparent lack of focus, raised her hand, apologizing to her master for her impertinence, and asked for permission to stay behind to attend to her mistress, citing that the lady had not appeared well all morning.

Indeed, Ino did not look well. The emotional turmoil of last night's conflict had taken its toll on her. She looked pale and listless, and her eyes, missing their usual spark, were encircled by the evidence of her lack of sleep. A few of the older maid servants exchanged knowing glances, as if they were privy to secret knowledge; if the situation was truly as was portrayed, the wise women's suspicions would have probably been well founded. The lord agreed to her request, his face a mask of worry, and then dismissed the lot of them to the task of leaving the estate. Sai left to make preparations for the carriage while Chouji escorted Ino back to their shared room under the pretense of making her rest. The man that left the room shortly there after was not the man who entered it. That person was merely a shadow, but he took Chouji's place at his partner's side. No one outside of the Konoha four would discern the deception anyway.

Once inside the room, after Chouji's clone had left, Ino took off her outer robe, carefully arranging it on the back of an oversized ornate chair so it wouldn't get mussed, and tucked herself back into bed. Chouji made himself scarce, taking a pillow and a book into the large, walk-in closet. It wouldn't do to have their ruse discovered, so they had to continue to play along until Tenten gave them the all clear. Their actions were well justified, as several of the female staff, Misao and Mari most notably, came by to check on their lady before making their retreat. She sent them on their way with alacrity, as it would not do for them to find Chouji, with assurances that she was fine and yes, she would allow Chisato to attend to her every need. The interruptions declined and Ino managed to fall into a light sleep; her weariness had not been just an act.

**.**

**.**

**. ~ { oOo } ~ .**

She awoke sometime later in the early afternoon, which was indicated by the angle of the light filtering into the room, as Chouji gently brushed the hair from her face. "What time is it?"

"A quarter after two." He shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "I wanted to let you sleep longer."

Ino left the safety of the bed and began fixing the rumpled sheets. "I know."

"Who do you normally do this with?" His fingers twitched anxiously in his lap and he steadfastly refused to look at her.

"What?" Her voice was meek, filled with shock, and her heart danced around viciously in her throat.

He took in her panic, looking up upon hearing her distressed tone. "Sorry, I could have phrased that better. I meant to ask who your mission partner usually is. Or maybe it's not the same person all the time. I don't know. I don't really understand how all this works."

"Kakashi." Relief filled her, settled her heart a bit, as she realized he was trying to determine what his role should be, rather than what type of marks she bedded. Eye to eye, she answered him. "I have to work with a lot of different shinobi. But if it's a seduction assignment, my partner is always Kakashi."

"I see." Chouji was also somewhat relieved. She had been well protected during her missions. "So what does he do? What do you need me to do?"

"This type of mission can leave me... vulnerable. Especially with a mark that we know very little about. If he's a civilian, like we are hoping he is, I can take care of myself. But if he's a shinobi, that complicates things. I'm not really a close-quarters combat specialist." The woman took a deep breath. "Really, I need you in the room. Or if you're uncomfortable with that, just outside will do. Kakashi normally picks somewhere that he is close enough to hear what's going on, but out of sight. He doesn't watch, you know, just listens."

"Okay. Then I'll be in the closet. I'd rather be close." He had become eerily calm, detached. "Is there anything else I should know?"

"We need a code word. Something that will indicate to you that I'm in trouble, but wouldn't come up in a normal conversation." Ino fidgeted. "I usually use a name. It's easy to work into a sentence, but would only come up if I brought it up."

"So what name is it?"

"Yours."

He looked up with surprise and something close to pride shining through, or possibly unshed tears. "Really?"

The girl nodded her head. "Yeah, so if I call for you, it's okay to come running." She wiped the salt water from her cheeks. "But you have to be careful not to touch me. There's a jutsu I use for these missions. It's complicated. All you need to know is that if you touch me during it, I can accidentally entangle you with it too. So don't."

"Got it."

"I've got to get ready now." She put her hand over his heart momentarily and hoped today wouldn't break it.

**.**

**.**

**. ~ { oOo } ~ .**

Tenten arrived shortly there after, her footsteps echoing through the manor like impeding doom, with their honored guest in tow. She made the proper announcements introducing Michio, then left the man to her mistress; the weapons kunoichi took up her post in the next room, should her assistance be needed for the mission. From his place in the closet, Chouji was having a hard time hearing the conversation over the hammering of his heart. The bits he did pick up did little to settle it. Michio's words rumbled around in his head, kicking up all the insecurities that he had been trying to repress.

**.**

**.**

**.**

"Your husband has many enemies. Did you not know that?"

_(Are you ready for this mission?)_

**.**

**.**

**.**

"They believe they have found him. They are on their way here to kill him."

_(I've got to know that you can put your feelings for her aside and do the job.)_

**.**

**.**

**.**

"I have many connections. I could resolve this problem for you."

_(Man, do I have to spell it out for you?)_

**.**

**.**

**.**

"All I need is a little something from you. Just a token, really."

_(I am asking her to screw another guy for information while her boyfriend, my best friend, stands outside the door listening.)_

**.**

**.**

**.**

"You're a married woman, Sumire. Surely you know the ways of a man."

_(Are you really okay with that?)_

**.**

**.**

**.**

"I am well endowed, my lady. I could make you feel things that your husband never could."

_(Then you are a better man than I am.)_

**.**

**.**

**.**

"Will you promise that you will take care of these men, that my husband will be safe?" Ino finally broke her silence and the sound made Chouji stand at attention.

"Of course, my lady." Michio's voice reeked of persuasion and filth and sensuality.

_(Are you really okay with that?)_

**.**

**.**

**.**

"And the price for your services is handing over my body into your care before my husband returns home?"

"That is my fee."

_(Are you really okay with that?)_

**.**

**.**

**.**

"I see."

Her voice was steady and clear.

"Then I have a couple conditions of my own. This will be a one time tryst. I will not be bullied into further relations.

And word of this is not to come to my lord's ears. Are the terms acceptable?"

"Indeed they are, my lady. Come here so I can receive my payment."

_(Are you really okay with that?)_

**.**

**.**

**.**

_(Really okay with that?)_

**.**

**.**

**.**

_(Okay with that?)_

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

" _No_."

Chouji burst from the closet, unable to hold back any longer.

"What in the hell is this?" Michio grabbed Ino tightly by her wrists. "What game are you playing, woman?"

"I'm not!" He gripped her wrists harder and she had to swallow her pain. It would do no good to further rile either man. "I'm sorry. He was supposed to stay in the closet. I wanted to experiment. I wanted him to watch me as someone else tasted me. He didn't want to, but I couldn't let the idea go so he finally agreed. He's just here to watch. So please, let me go so we can continue."

"So the lady is actually a slut. This is going to be good." Michio released her roughly and smirked, vile and greedy. "I won't hold anything back then."

Chouji started forward again, threat vibrating from his body, but Ino stopped him with a look.

"Don't you dare interfere. Just watch and I'll explain everything after." Her voice commanded Chouji, full with the weight of her influence over him. Then she pushed her mark into the wall, the force of her shove putting him off-balance and cracking his head, and as she spoke she could see the fear start to creep into the man's features. "Actually, I'm the one who won't be holding anything back."

"Ino,  _ **stop**_." He was angry now, at her, at that bastard, at the situation, at  _himself_. He couldn't do a thing, couldn't even touch her to stop this madness. And it was tearing him apart.

The kunoichi spared him one last glance, filled with something that he couldn't recognize.

_Maybe she was breaking too_.

And then she struck out at Michio with her lips.

Chouji's heart was pierced, broken. The method was most effective, more so than if he had handed her a kunai. The need to hurt something in return overwhelmed him, so he put his hand through the wall, the pain of broken skin and bruised bones a welcome reprieve from the shredding of his heart. But he never looked away.

She kissed him for what seemed to be several minutes, full and deep and fueled only by cold violence. When her lips released their prey, the man fell to the floor in a boneless heap.

"That's it." Ino was crying when she turned back to Chouji, full sobs taking hold of her slender frame. "It's done."

 


	9. Honesty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains a brief scene of mental torture, including non-explicit _references_ to rape. I am not using the warnings for this because I do not believe the scene is strong enough that it warrants it. But I do want to give readers who may be sensitive to the issue a heads up.

"The scent ends in here."

A single dark eye surveyed the aperture. "You're sure?"

"Yeah." His canine partner replied, weariness held in his gruff tone. "There's no trail coming back out either."

"They must have used a teleportation jutsu. Again."

Kakashi reached behind his head, rubbing the back of his neck in frustration, and sighed. Five weeks spent out in the field was bad enough. But this was the eighth separate trail to run cold. They were chasing phantoms it seemed. The man crouched, shifting his weight to the balls of his feet, and surveyed what there was of a scene. This time Pakkun's nose had led them to a small cave, its opening barely more than a crack, naturally disguised in a deeply wooded section of north-central Fire Country. The shinobi could make out what he believed to be three different sets of tracks, but in the confines of the cavern the prints had been severely muddled and were indistinct. There was little else to see. The only thing left behind was a plain fire ring with the remains of a modest-sized stump in the ashes.

Yamato had been on a solo escort mission to the Hidden Hot Springs Village. The mission itself had been straightforward, just paid protection for a spoiled noble as he traveled from one onsen to the next, and had been completed successfully. Word was sent to the hokage that the shinobi would make haste back to the village, a trip which should have taken the jounin little more than two days. When three days had come and gone without further notification, the Hokage was frustrated by Yamato's tardiness; after all, he was well aware that another mission was already waiting for him. After a week with no further communication, concern grew to alarm, and Kakashi was sent to investigate. What evidence he managed to find led him to believe that his friend had been abducted. His search, aided greatly by his hound summon, had taken him across much of the Land of Fire, winding back and forth through the dense forests in the north and east.

"How many?" One curious eye watched the canine companion. It was always good to take advantage of a second set of senses. Up to this point, Kakashi had been tracking two people. A possible third meant trouble. More than three would mean asking Lady Tsunade for a back-up squad, something he was not sure Yamato had time to wait for.

After a bit more sniffing, the dog frowned. "I can make out two clearly, Sasuke and Yamato. Just like before."

"But?"

"But, I can't tell if there is one more or two more. The scent's muddy." Pakkun snorted in disgust. "And faintly reptilian."

"Orochimaru?"

Pakkun inhaled deeply. "No. It's not him."

An expression of anxiety distorted the man's mask.

_Tenzou, what have you gotten yourself into?_

**.**

**.**

**. ~ { oOo } ~ .**

The world spun violently causing his sight to blur in and out of focus. At first, the man was afraid that their target had truly been a shinobi as what he was experiencing felt eerily similar to genjutsu. It took a moment or two before the rushing blood receded from his head and ears. Realization was left behind. Chouji's senses had merely been dulled, or perhaps sharpened beyond his ability to assimilate the information, by his own wrath. It was her crumpled face that had brought him back to his faculties.

"That's it." Ino spoke brokenly between sobs. "It's done."

The large shinobi instinctively reached for her, his intent to comfort the woman.

_His woman_.

But Ino abruptly stepped away, the petitioning of her hands creating an unbreachable wall between them. Uncertainty wound its way around his chest and squeezed.

"Don't touch me, Chouji." Her words were firm but gentle, the tone more even now that she was collecting her emotions, and all business. "Not yet. I've got a lot to process and we have a mess to clean up."

He nodded simply, looking at the unconscious body at her feet. A stain of blood shone wetly on the wall where the target had struck his head and was starting to drip. Chouji flexed his fingers, reliving that moment, wishing that he had been the one to inflict that wound. Discomfort trickled into his conscious mind, this time physical, and caused him to lift his hand up for examination. The appendage was swollen and bloody, but mostly intact, and covered in a loose coating of powder that had once been a part of the adjacent partition. The hole he created wasn't that bad all things considered. At least he had kept his chakra in check; the hollow, exposed area was only the size of a normal fist.

In his rush to defend Ino he had taken the closet door off its hinges, though. Surveying the scene, his ignorance weighed down upon the shinobi. The damage, every bit of it, was due to his inability to follow through with his mission properly. Guilt pressed on him, compounding the doubts that still lingered. Heavy knowledge poured into Chouji. He had made the kunoichi's job much harder than it had needed to be. "Ino."

"Not now. We'll talk later." Her bottom lip quivered, but she maintained her composure as she waved him off. "We have to finish this first. I can't- I won't... I'll fall apart. We have to finish this first."

"Okay, we'll finish this first." Melancholy made his reply subdued. He was ready to comply with any request Ino had at the moment, regardless of practicality, as long as it would help put him back in her favor.

"I can do it by myself if you want to leave." Her whisper fell to the floor so quickly, so hushed, that Chouji had to strain to make out the words. Ino's back was to him now, leaning over Michio's body as she healed the injury she had inflicted, but her shoulders were hunched, small and defeated. The sight tore at him, sending fresh waves of conviction through his heart.

Chouji was baffled. The man had been sure that she was angry with him. Why else would she rebuff him so thoroughly? And if she was angry with him, as she had every right to be, that was one thing. He would leave and get Tenten to help if his presence was causing her grief. But her demeanor, her phrasing, her tone, suggested something altogether different. Ino did not seem mad. Rather, she seemed worried. "Why would I want to leave?"

The woman stood and gaped at him for a couple of seconds before answering, her eyes shifty and something haunting in her voice. "I think we should save that conversation for later, too."

"Fair enough. What do you need me to do?" A smile, hollow and thin, graced his cheeks. He couldn't make it completely sincere when he was kicking himself. But when he saw relief course through her, the tension falling from shoulders and the slight upturn of lips, Chouji was happy he tried.

"Michio is healed up now. You need to strip him down to his underwear and put him in the bed." Back to the matter at hand, Ino tapped her chin. "After that, you can go get Tenten. She's good at patching up walls and doors."

"I suppose with her team she'd have to be."

"I don't even want to imagine it." Ino shuddered. "I'll take care of the blood and the little details. This room has to be consistent with the memories I planted. Oh, and get a move on. I didn't knock him out for long. We've only got thirty-seven more minutes before he wakes up."

**.**

**.**

**. ~ { oOo } ~ .**

Michio awoke alone, left with only a note dismissing his presence, and, after taking the time to make himself presentable, was escorted from the mansion by Tenten. The repairs and preparations to the room had been made with little time to spare, but their mark was none the wiser for that. Upon Michio's departure, the three shinobi made way to their usual meeting place, the parlor, and waited for their leader to return from the shop. Ino and Tenten sat together and distracted themselves with a fashion magazine.

Chouji closed his eyes and pondered the day's events, the thoughts, the questions in his mind piling up to the point of toppling over.

_Was that how her missions typically went?_

Ino had done nothing of an intimate nature with the mark. It was a far cry from what Chouji had expected. There was none of the skin on skin or the lustful moans or any of the lurid things that he had prepared himself for. His jealous heart had been imagining the very worst scenarios possible - of Ino being roughly pushed into submission, of her forcible participation in unnatural and deviant acts, of her  _enjoyment_ of relations with other men. But his girlfriend had taken Michio down with merely a kiss. Chouji was no expert when it came to seduction missions, but he was sure that they involved more than that.

_Is that really all there is to it?_

Of course, Ino had that jutsu, whatever it truly was. He had never seen her use it before, so Chouji had no idea how it worked. It was clearly effective though. Michio went down quickly and from what he could pull together from Ino's vague comments, she had managed to both gather some information and manipulate the man's memories. And, as far as he could tell, she had accomplished all that with but one tool - her lips.

_Had she been misleading everyone all this time?_

_Could he dare to hope?_

"You can release your jutsu now." Chouji was startled back to reality at the arrival of Sai and his own clone. Their leader took a seat as Chouji allowed the shadow to puff out of existence. "Ino, what did you find out?"

Ino paled, but straightened her back and squared her shoulders. "Michio was definitely the man we were looking for. Sasuke was all over his memories. Apparently, he was the middleman, just like Shikamaru speculated."

Sai pulled out a scroll, along with a brush and ink, to compose a message. "Were you able to get any specifics?"

"Yes." Closing her eyes, the woman organized her thoughts, separating the target's memories out from her own. "Michio would scope out a town on Sasuke's orders. His directives were always the same. Find a sap to dupe or threaten. Get that person to agree to distribute Sasuke's goods. Infect as many people as possible."

"How?" Tenten's expression was hard with anger.

"It was the food. It was laced with something, but I don't know what."

Sai looked up from his scroll and continued his questioning. "Did you get any information on possible associates?"

"Yes. Kabuto." Ino swallowed, and then continued. "I didn't see anyone else, but Kabuto is involved. I'm pretty sure he's the one tainting the food."

"That is highly probable." Sai tilted his head, a thoughtful look crossing his features. "It would explain why Sasuke would be willing to team up with him, given their history."

"There's more." The kunoichi's body shook imperceptibly and her fists rolled into balls on her lap. She turned away from Sai to stare at Chouji directly, her face full of cold dread. "He- He left a message for me inside Michio's head."

"Can he even do that?" Tenten queried, her eyebrows knotted in confusion. "I've read the bingo book over and over. It never mentioned Kabuto having an ability like that."

"I recognized the jutsu he used. I think... he learned it recently." Ino was shaking. "He used chakra to change the chemical fluctuations in Michio's brain. Once Kabuto had control, he could use memory manipulation to implant whatever he wanted."

"How do you know how he did...?" Chouji came to stand directly in front of Ino and something in his demeanor caused Tenten to trail off. She'd never seen him so distraught.

"Never mind that for now." Chouji ground out, low and dangerous, unnerved by what he saw in Ino's form. The fact that someone was specifically targeting his girlfriend was doing a number on his self-control. He knelt down in front of Ino, trying to keep a careful hold on himself. "What was the message?"

"He was in Konoha recently. I'm not sure what his purpose was but," Ino hung her head, "but he was in disguise. Kino... Kino was Kabuto."

"You mean the villager we captured?" Chouji stood back up, shock startling him into rigidity, when Ino nodded. "He was your last mission. How could you not know?"

Ino wrung her hands. "I don't know. He didn't have a chakra signature."

"That guy was in your apartment, Ino!" Panic tried to take over, but Chouji redirected it. Anger was easier to deal with. And it was more convenient to put the on blame Ino, to yell at her, than to entertain ideas of what the enemy had wanted with her.

"Chouji, I don't think-" Tenten tried to mediate, but was interrupted.

"You think I don't know that! I was there, Chouji, remember? I was the one that had to get close to him! He was  _my_  mark!" Ino rose on shaky legs and turned away from her boyfriend, her face faintly green. "Sai, that's all I found."

"It is enough." Sai continued putting ink to paper. "You look terrible. Get some rest. That's an order."

"Thank you." Ino dismissed herself as quickly as her jelly-filled legs would carry her, slamming the door abruptly behind her. Chouji made no move to follow.

Sai, after summoning a carrier bird, calmly and neatly put away his writing implements. He then sealed the scroll intended for Naruto, attaching it to the avian's feet, and sent it on its way. With a wide, vicious smile Sai turned to the other male in the room. "Chouji?"

"Yes?" The man replied harshly, his head still wrapped up with Ino and Kabuto and the implications that hung in the air.

"Ino seemed quite upset. I'm sure that what she saw in that deviant's brain came as a shock to her."

The adrenaline started to wane and left him tired, but with it the urge to react filtered out of the large man as well. Chouji nodded to his remaining teammates, both of whom were patiently waiting for his reaction. His tongue had stopped functioning properly at the thought of Ino's probable mental anguish, but Chouji's ears were open again.

"It is my understanding that in these type of circumstances, it is a boyfriend's duty to give comfort and, if the situation calls for it, to grovel and beg for forgiveness."

Chouji turned from them to look intently at the door, and then found his feet. "Yes, Sai. You're right."

"Well, that was tense." After the door shut again, the weapon's mistress grinned at her leader as she pulled a senbon and kunai from her sleeves. "You should have let me threaten him."

"I merely did what I needed to for the sake of the mission. Personal conflicts get in the way of teamwork."

"You know what I think? Sakura has made you go soft." The kunoichi waved goodbye over her shoulder as she opened the door. "She hates seeing Ino in pain, too."

**.**

**.**

**. ~ { oOo } ~ .**

After several perimeter checks, each one circling out farther from the point of origin, Kakashi decided to call it quits for the day. Pakkun was exhausted. The hound had searched through miles of rough terrain, well beyond the range of a normal transportation jutsu, trying to pick up any scents worth following. But there were none to be found. The animal needed his rest and, as dark was quickly upon them, it would be unwise to continue without his trusted ally. Kakashi was indeed an expert tracker, but he had neither the eyes of a Hyuuga nor the nose of an Inuzuka. He would be at a disadvantage. Considering the skill of his prey, he could be walking into an ambush. Besides, the means by which their quarry had eluded them was still a mystery. There was no clear path for him to take.

Pakkun curled up near the entrance of the fissure, standing guard while Kakashi thoroughly checked for traps. Sasuke had been there and the jounin did not want to take any chances. Finding none, he set up his own, a first line of defense should anyone come trespassing in the night.

"Hey, you think we can have some real food tonight?"

Kakashi eyed the dog-nin curiously. "What did you have in mind?"

"Meat. There's a rabbit five yards away at our two o'clock." Pakkun wagged his tail in anticipation. "And you need something besides those soldier pills."

"Sure." Kakashi agreed, dismissing the animal with an easy wave. "I'll get the fire ready."

The shinobi went outside and gathered an armful of dry branches, just enough to feed a small fire. The half-burnt log still in the fire ring would make a good coal bed, so he didn't need much. Once back inside, he broke up some of the larger branches and made a pile. The coals left behind by Sasuke were now cold, but they would help make the fire start up quickly. All Kakashi would need was a very controlled fire jutsu. He started to rearrange the coals, placing what was still intact of the firewood in the middle so he could build around it, when he felt a faint but familiar chakra signature. Rubbing across the grain with his thumb, Kakashi found a small seed. He removed it, examining it carefully between his fingers, before funneling a small amount of energy into it. The reaction was instantaneous.

"Finally. That's the eighth seed I've left for you."

"Huh, a wood clone." Pakkun had entered the cave and dropped the rabbit at Kakashi's feet. "That'll be a big help. Too bad we didn't find the other ones. Would've saved my nose some work."

"I don't suppose you know where the real you is being held?" Kakashi inquired. "Or how they managed to give me the slip?"

"Well, Sasuke's been using a teleportation jutsu, though I'm sure you already know that. Kabuto met them here last night. They left with him using an earth tunneling jutsu. I believe they should be in Kabuto's western hideout by now."

"And where would that be? Any ideas?"

"Of course." The clone grinned. "Just outside Bordertown."

"Really?" Kakashi's tone was mild, but his visible eyebrow rose in surprise. "Pakkun, can you pay Naruto a visit? Let him know I'll be there sometime in the morning."

**.**

**.**

**. ~ { oOo } ~ .**

Delicate fingers fastened sharply over tight, drawn lips. She couldn't pretend to be okay, couldn't hold it together anymore. She had reached her limit. The woman hastened her pace.

_I'm going to be sick. I'm going to be sick. I'm going to be sick._

That thought ran through Ino's mind over and over in an unceasing loop. She needed to get back to her quarters.  _Now_. She flew down the opulent corridor and stumbled a bit, not caring as she knocked over a vase of fresh flowers. Frantic, Ino ignored the broken pieces and forced her feet back underneath her so she could continue on. Reaching the correct door, she flung it open, not taking the time to close it behind her, and made her way directly to the bathroom. Ino heaved herself over the toilet, retching violently.

Kabuto's message had not been nearly so cut and dry as she had made it out to be.

He had clearly designed it, carefully crafting each word and image, as a means of psychological warfare. Even his method of communication was planned with her in mind. It was meant to tear her down emotionally and undermine her confidence as a kunoichi. It was certainly not something that she wished to share in its whole with the others. So for the sake of the meeting and the mission, Ino relayed only what she felt was relevant and kept the rest locked up as best she could.

Her teammates did not need to know the repulsive details and she did not need their pity.

Ino had been sifting through Michio's memories of Sasuke, gleaning everything useful she could, when she happened across it. It was an image of Kino sitting in front of his rural farming village. He looked as though he was waiting for someone, shifting his eyes back and forth down the road leading towards him. Ino knew that Kino's village had been part of the attacks, so it didn't concern her too much. But as she continued her search for information, the image popped up again. It bothered her. It should have fallen outside of her search parameters, since she was only bringing up material she didn't already know. She instantly dismissed it.

_It popped up again._

Ino then carefully went back over the memories she had pulled directly from Kino. Suddenly it dawned on her why it kept popping up. Michio wasn't in Kino's memories. At first she had assumed that he was. After all, she clearly remembered that both Sasuke and a merchant were there, though they were only present by voice. As she replayed the scene, she realized that the voice of the merchant did not match Michio's. This memory was not the same.

_Something wasn't right._

So Ino accessed the new memory and received an immediate onslaught of images, starting from when she first encountered Kino. In vibrant detail, her mission was faithfully catalogued, every seductive smile and every brush of skin. Everything up to the point that she had kissed him was perfectly accurate, down to the state of her near nakedness and the heady look of power in her eyes. It was disconcerting. Michio shouldn't even have this memory to begin with. Something was seriously wrong.

_Then the memory distorted._

It was no longer what the kunoichi had implanted into her young mark or even the reality that she knew was safely inside her own head.

**.**

**.**

**.**

_The woman was roughly slammed into the cold prison wall. While still dazed, Kino stalked over to her and picked her up by her throat. He held her just high enough that she had to struggle to stay on the tips of her toes. When she relaxed at all, the pressure of his hand would start to cut off her airway._

" _How does it feel to have your own jutsu used against you? I hope you don't mind, but I made a few modifications. Your chakra control was perfection, quite clever really, but the delivery method was crude, rudimentary. I would prefer not to have to kiss my marks." His eyes raked over her body. "Well, I suppose I could make an exception for some of them."_

_The dream Ino tried to bring her hands together, attempting her mind transfer jutsu, but Kino was too quick. His free arm pinned her hands over her head._

" _Don't struggle, Doctor Yamanaka. I still have so much more to show you." He pulled a pair of senbon from his sleeve, his motion smooth and streamlined, and drove them through her hands. A scream tore through her mind and then the other Ino slumped. "Much better. Now where were we? Ah yes, I had something to show you."_

_The dark, haunted eyes that had caused her to feel such pity before turned golden in an instant. The form before her morphed gradually, like ice melting away on a warm afternoon, to reveal shaggy silver hair and a sturdier, muscled frame. The pleasant smile made her blood run cold. "Ka- Kabuto?"_

" _Now, Ino, I'm disappointed. I was hoping you would have already figured it out. After all, you were in my head." His eyes narrowed sharply as he clicked his forked tongue. "And I don't like people messing around in my head. Some would consider it a_ _ **violation**_ _of sorts. So, Ino, what am I going to do with you?"_

_She thrashed about and tried to kick him, summoning all the chakra she could muster, but her leg swung too wide and missed completely. The hand around her throat tightened. After a brief struggle, her body went limp._

" _Remember, I'm the one in charge here. This is all just a dream. A vision of what's to come and a warning for the real you." His head turned to where Ino was looking in at the memory. Slowly, deliberately, he tore the last of the fabric from the unresponsive body. Then, as Kabuto stared her down in malice, he viciously entered her dream self. "Tell Chouji I said hello."_

**.**

**.**

**.**

Ino vomited again, trying to purge the fake memory, but it refused to leave.

**.**

**.**

**. ~ { oOo } ~ .**

Dark eyes narrowed and a hand paused mid-stroke, blotting the canvas with an excess of ink. The tense post-objective meeting had been successful, but it left Sai somewhat unsettled. Art had always brought peace to his heart, even before the shinobi realized he could feel such a thing, so he began to work on a new piece as soon as he and Tenten had adjourned. The painting he was currently working on though, an elegant mixture of scarlets and pinks and greens, was ruined. Sai felt a faint trace of worry creep over him, barely there like a wisp of wind on a still night, and it had nothing to do with his current occupation. He had sensed the shudder of his ink summon and felt the minute amount of his chakra that it held released as it was destroyed.

_This was the second night in a row_.

Last night, he convinced himself that it was just a normal animal's attack that had interfered with the daily communiqué. It was a hazard that Sai was well aware of and it did happen from time to time. But twice?

_That_  was interference.

**.**

**.**

**. ~ { oOo } ~ .**

Ino continued to heave even after her stomach had released the whole of its contents. Her body shook unnaturally, sapping away her strength as she kneeled over and tried not to make a mess of her garments. Her eyelids rested heavy over her eyes, leaking emotion along with the tears. She was suddenly so very tired.

Gentle hands collected her untied hair and pulled the strands back from her face.

_Chouji_.

He had followed her after all. Ino wasn't sure he would. It was clear that he had been angry with her. During the meeting his whole body had resonated with it. And she knew to expect it. She had deceived him. His anger, his disappointment in her, was rightly deserved. Yet even still, he was with her, holding back her hair and rubbing soothing circles on her back as her retching began anew.

The shuddering eventually subsided and Chouji lifted her into his arms, carrying her towards the sink. He carefully deposited her on the long countertop, positioning her close to the faucet, and grabbed a cloth. Warm water was poured over it and the excess was wrung out before he used it to clean her face. He smoothed a brush over her wild tangles, and then pulled it into a simple tail tied with a ribbon at the base of her neck. A glass of cool water was handed to her. She rinsed her mouth several times, spitting the acrid taste into the basin. After a few attempts, all Ino could taste was purity of the water. Grateful, she used what was left in the cup to gradually hydrate herself. When she was done, Chouji wordlessly gathered her up again.

The man sat down on their bed and held Ino close, his large arms wrapping protectively around her. Ino pulled her knees in close to her chest, and then buried her head in her arms, making herself as small as possible. Chouji's treatment of her was too tender. It hurt her heart and weighed on her conscience.

"Ino, I'm sorry." Chouji began, but she placed a finger over his lips.

"Before that, we need to have our talk." Ino untangled herself from his embrace and pulled up a chair to sit in. She was more comfortable facing him, even if it meant looking him in the eye, than she was on his lap. If he chose to retreat from her during the conversation, at a time when she would be most vulnerable, at least Ino wouldn't have to feel the physical manifestation of that rejection. "You have questions, I'm sure."

He took a deep breath, exhaling slowly, and leaned over, elbows on knees and fingers lightly, carefully, interlocked. "What was that jutsu? How does it work?"

This was the most benign thing that he could have asked her, allowing her to escape into work rather than personal issues. "I call it the  _Snapdragon's Kiss_. First, I mold a microscopic amount of my chakra so that it mimics the host's chakra signature, then I inject it directly into a nerve cluster. I manually direct it to the temporal lobe in the brain's left hemisphere to the section that is reserved for sensory input. In this area, there is a small section devoted to interpreting pleasurable stimuli. Once my chakra reaches the correct fold, it overloads the receptors causing a temporary unconscious state. With their mental defenses down, I have freedom to go through their mind unhindered."

Chouji sat quietly while he processed what she had said. "So," he started, a quizzical expression on his face, "you're literally kissing them senseless?"

"It's more complicated than that." Ino quipped, but her glare had no heat to it.

"I understood that from your technical explanation." He tilted forward a bit more, his voice soft. "Do you normally use it for your special ops missions?"

"Yes, and I know what you're trying to get at, Chouji Akimichi." Ino held her ground and his stare. "We both know I've been lying to you. You just want to know the extent of it. Well, I haven't had sex with a single one of my marks. And I haven't slept with any of the guys in the village either. I didn't need to. One little kiss and they were out like a light."

"Then why would you-"

"Why would I what? Why would I lie? Why would I let everyone think I was the worst kind of whore?" Ino cut him off. "It's because I couldn't get my talent recognized. I knew that people looked at me and just saw a pretty face. I was never taken seriously. I thought if I went into special ops my face would be an asset. But the council rejected my application. They didn't think I had what it took. I was too  _nice_. They wanted a kunoichi who had proven herself willing to get down and dirty. So I developed my jutsu and tested it.  _On a lot of guys_. When the side effect was the downfall of my reputation, I was happy! I knew that the council would accept me. Why would I refute the lies that got me what I wanted?"

" _This_  is what you wanted?" Chouji gently challenged. "To be so wrapped up in your charade that you never let anyone close?"

"Look, I wasn't interested in guys or love or any of that crap at all, not after what chasing after that bastard did to you. It was stupid, but that betrayal broke my heart. I refused to put myself in that position again, so I figured it didn't matter what people thought of me. The ones that mattered still stuck by me, even if they thought I was a slut." Ino faltered, lifting her hands in resignation. "I didn't care until I started to think about you."

Emotion got the better of him, so Chouji stayed silent. He simply wrapped a hand around the back of her head, touched her forehead with his, and closed his eyes.

"Chouji?" Hesitantly, she waited for him to open his eyes. "You're not mad at me? For lying to you?"

"No, not really. I'm a little angry you waited so long to tell me, but mostly I'm just relieved. Usually when people lie, it's a pretty story to cover up something ugly. Your lie was the opposite. So even if I wanted to be mad, I just can't. The truth made me too happy." His forehead wrinkled up in thought. "Is this why you thought I was mad at you? You know, earlier when you tried to make me leave?"

"Yes. Well, mostly anyway. I thought you'd hate me for deceiving you." Ino pulled away from him, folding her knees in front of her again. "But..."

"There's more?"

"The nature of my missions  _was_  the issue. It's just that if I'm being honest with myself, I think you need to know more about one mission in particular." Ino rested her cheek on her knees, fidgeting with the fabric under her fingers. "I don't want to tell you though. You're not going to like it. But if I don't, he might use it against you. And I just can't take that chance."

"You're talking about Kabuto." Chouji reclined on the bed and patted next to him on the mattress. "You're right. I'm not going to like it. But I'll listen the whole way through. And I won't hold it against you. Come here."

Ino took the place he motioned to and Chouji wove his fingers through hers, flinching as he did so. "I'll heal that after you hear me out."

"I'd appreciate that." His reply came easy, much more relaxed than she thought it would under the circumstances. It helped to put Ino at ease.

"Okay. So I went into that mission riled up already." Ino began and Chouji closed his eyes, concentrating on the sound of her voice. "Something about you had been different that day. I couldn't put my finger on it, so it bothered me. But Kakashi... He saw right through me. Just before we reached Kino's cell, he made a comment about it. Something about me being in denial about my feelings and I just lost it. I attacked Kakashi. Threw him against the wall, actually. It was quite impressive."

"Actually, that is really impressive."

"Seriously, huh?" The kunoichi smiled weakly. "Like I was saying, I was out of sorts. And  _Kino_ , well, he kind of looked like Sasuke. I don't think it was conscious at all, but I took my frustration out on him. I didn't use the jutsu right away. I toyed with him instead. It was like I drunk off the power of it. Before I knew it, I was hovering over him in nothing but my lab coat and panties and he was asking if it was okay to put it inside. The way he said it... It startled me into action. I put him to sleep and finished the rest as quickly as I could. The realization that I had went way too far made me sick.

"I know you said that you're more relieved than angry, but Chouji, you have to understand. I may not have physically been with anyone, but I'm still the one making the memories. When we talked about Kino before... When I let you believe that I had just had sex with him, it was because I needed to know that you could accept all of me. Because I have all those things rattling around in my brain.

"My body may not know any of those men, but my mind does. Does that make any sense?"

"Yes, it does." Lips pressed lightly against her cheek. "But you have to understand, Ino, that those are just fantasies. Nothing more, nothing less. They can only have a hold of you if you let them."

"I know. But sometimes it's hard to forgive yourself. And at other times, it's hard to get the images to leave." Saline trickled down her cheeks as Ino whispered her fears. "The message he implanted in Michio, the one for me... It was terrible. He took that memory, the one of Kino, and twisted it. He made it uglier and darker than it should have been."

"Ino, I need to know." Chouji tightened his grip on her hand, emotion overcoming the pain of his injury. His voice walked the line between demanding and pleading. "What was the message? What did he show you?"

"He tortured me. Well, not me. Not really. The image of me that he created." Wide blue eyes turned his direction. "Kino threw me against the wall and pinned my hands there with senbon while he held me up by my neck. He taunted me about using my own jutsu against me. Then Kino faded away, revealing Kabuto. He said he didn't like people playing around with his mind. That it was a kind of  _violation_. Then he- he-"

"Shh, it's alright. That's enough, Ino. It wasn't real." Chouji cooed into her ear. He pulled her into his chest as she broke down. "I'm here."

"Thank you." Ino sobbed, clutching his kimono desperately, and buried herself into his warmth. They stayed like that for a while, Chouji comforting her as best he could, as Ino bled out the poison that had built up in her system. As her crying ceased and her breathing evened out, Ino relinquished her hold on his clothing and sat up. Her voice was as shy and sweet as he had ever heard it. "Can I heal your hand now?"

"Yeah." With his permission given, Ino placed his hand in her lap. "It hurts a lot, actually."

As her chakra started its work knitting flesh back together, Ino grinned widely. "Good. You deserved that for messing up my rendezvous with Michio." When she finished with his wounds, she bent down and placed a kiss on the end of his nose. "But you're forgiven."

"That's very generous of you." Despite his sarcastic tone, Chouji was grinning back. "You know, Ino, I hear that reality is so much better than fantasy."

"Chouji Akimichi, are you propositioning me?" Ino flicked her hair off of her shoulder dramatically.

Chouji pushed himself up onto his elbows so he could speak directly into her ear. His voice, deep and rough with yearning, sent delicious shivers down her spine. "Only if you're agreeable to the idea."

"Just let me lock the door."

**.**

**.**

**. ~ { oOo } ~ .**

Rough, calloused fingers intertwined over a taut belly and bright eyes studied the ceiling in contemplation. She found nothing there. After all, the hour was late, closer to dawn than dusk, and darkness hung over the room like ink spilled over parchment. The village outside was peaceful, with only the faint pitter-patter of the light summer rain over thatched rooftops to be heard.

_Two days._

Her thoughts settled in her stomach like lead, worry making them hard to digest and expel. Something was wrong. Every cell in her body felt it, like being suddenly struck with chidori, and the more she tried to fight it the more it circulated. Despite exhaustion, sleep eluded the girl.

_No word for two_ _FREAKING_ _days._

She rolled over, legs fighting futilely with tangled sheets, trying to get comfortable. After much rustling, shifting, and wrestling, the girl gave up with the realization that it was just her mental distress seeping into her bones.

"Sakura," a firm hand pushed her shoulder back into her bedroll. "Go to sleep. I'll send Gamakichi over there first thing in the morning."

"I know, but-" Her voice wavered despite her efforts to keep it steady.

"They're fine." The male voice was resolute.

"We haven't seen so much as an ink  _puddle_  for two days. What if that guy was more dangerous than we thought? He could've done  _things_  to Ino. She could be hurt. Or what if... what if they were compromised and the enemy found them?" The kunoichi whispered, small and hesitant. "What if we're compromised?"

"Don't go there. They'll be fine. Have some faith in your teammates." A warm hand reached for hers. "Besides, Kakashi should be here by tomorrow. He'll know what to do."

"I know. You're right. Besides, Chouji wouldn't let anything happen to her. And Sai, well, as much as I hate to admit it, is a genius. They'll be fine." She let his confidence saturate her heart, slowly replacing her concern with restrained assurance, and exhaled deeply. "You're right. Thanks, Naruto."

"Hey, no problem!" The blonde replied. Sakura squished his hand in response and closed her eyes. Silence stretched out between them and, accompanied by the darkness of night, the girl relaxed into the embrace of promised rest. Naruto squirmed anxiously, wiggling his fingers in an attempt to get her attention before she nodded off. "Umm, Sakura?"

"Yeah?"

"Let's not tell Sai about this." He lifted their joined hands for clarification. "I don't want to have to protect my penis from him."

Sakura covered her mouth with her free hand, but laughter escaped from between her fingers. Naruto started to stammer in embarrassment and she gave up entirely, letting the mirth roll through her like water. "Sai doesn't swing that way, so I think you'll be fine."

"That came out wrong!" The blonde elbowed her in frustration. "You know what I meant!"

"Yeah, yeah. Now get to bed." The girl settled down with ease, the tension having been excised from her body, and drowsily stretched her limbs. "Your secret's safe with me."

Naruto rolled over, his back facing her, as he also prepared for sleep. "You're cruel, Sakura."

"Yeah, I know."

_And if anyone has hurt my friends, they'll taste my cruelty firsthand._

**.**

**.**

**. ~ { oOo } ~ .**

_"Is it done?"_

_"She got my message. They should be suitably distracted."_

_"Good."_

_"So, tomorrow then?"_

_"Yes. Tomorrow."_


End file.
